I'm Going Home
by kschimm96
Summary: When Finn's childhood friend, Cleo Lewis, moves back to Lima due to strange circumstances, New Directions finds themselves their newest member! Without realizing it, Cleo finds herself stirring up mixed feelings, of jealousy and possibly love. But, more importantly, can she even sing? RORYxOC and slight FINNxOC
1. Chapter 01

Chapter One: Going in a New Direction

Cleo

Rain pitter pattered on the window panes in my father's office while I sat there with my parents silently. It was a typical day in Chicago, at least weather wise because it was always cloudy with a chance of downpour. I had just gotten home from a friend's house when my mother swiped me into her car, saying Dad wanted to talk to us, and didn't give any other details. I was really confused on what was going on, but decided to let my father speak before freaking out.

My father, Dr. Jonathan Lewis, a well-known Cardiac Surgeon (one of the best in the country), sat stiffly in front of me, as if he was dealing with one of his patients. His golden-brown eyes were warm, which contrasted with the firm thin line his lips made and his furrowed, crinkled eyebrows. He normally didn't have that expression unless he needed to inform us about something important.

I glanced at my mother, who stood behind my father's desk. Her bright green eyes twinkled at me, as if in an attempt to put me at ease, but I knew something was up. My mother styled her hair so that it was a straight, thick curtain of chestnut hair, and she was wearing a red cocktail dress with black pumps. Normally, when we visit Dad at his office, she would wear a nice top and jeans. Never a fancy dress. Never pumps. Plus, I caught my parents exchange a few glances. They knew something that I didn't, and I wanted to know.

"Cleo, you know that as a doctor, my biggest dream is to have my practice grow," My father started, scooting closer to his desk.

I nodded, "Yeah, that's why we moved to Chicago, right?" Yup, that's right. Chicago was not my hometown. That title went to Lima, a small town in Ohio I lived in until I was about ten.

Dad nodded, and I even saw a small smile form on his almost always serious face, "That's correct. Lately, I have been thinking about moving my practice once more, and I believe that this opportunity has arrived." His eyes shifted to Mom, and they twinkled happily as they grasped each other's hands. Still holding Mom's hand, Dad looked back at me, "I have been given the chance to have my practice in Paris."

"Paris, France?!" I blurted. "Seriously?!"

Instead of being annoyed, my father chuckled, "That's correct, too."

"We're moving to _Paris?_"

"Not exactly," Dad cleared his throat, "Like most successful things in this world, there needs to be a test run. A colleague of mine has a practice in Paris and is willing to let me work there for a year. I need to be in Paris in two weeks." He sighed, as if there was some but I needed to know.

Mom was silently thrilled; I could tell by the way was she smiling. Her dream has always been to live in Paris, and now that dream was coming true. I smiled, thinking about how happy my mother was.

"That's fantastic!" I chirped in, so Dad knew I was happy about this news.

Dad looked up at me, his eyes suddenly dark, "There's a problem, though."

"There is?" I was confused again.

"I checked out their education system, and it is very complicated," Dad started, but he hesitated, as if trying to find a way to word his next statement, "Your mother and I both agree that you would be too far behind for you to get educated."

"So, does that mean I have to drop out?" Still confused.

"Absolutely not," Dad replied, leaning back in his chair, "I hate to tell you this, Cleo, but you can't go."

If this was a cartoon, my jaw would have been on the ground. "I can't go? This is ridiculous!" I shouted, standing up from the chair defensively. This wasn't fair! Just because French schooling was different from American didn't mean I shouldn't be allowed to go to France!

"Cleo, sweetie," Mom finally spoke, "Please, understand, this is for your best. Do you really think you could adjust properly?"

"Maybe, if I was given the chance!" I shot back, "What happens if your practice is successful and you stay? What happens to me?"

"We will figure it out as a family when we get to that!" Dad retorted, standing from his chair and nostrils flaring. Great, I pissed him off, "Will you please think about the opportunity this gives me? The life we could have? We would obviously visit frequently and stay in touch, but there's a chance this won't work out! Just think of it as us being gone for a year." He drew in a breath, calming down.

I did the same; something I inherit from my father was a temper. Next, another question popped in my mind, and I allowed it to come out of my mouth, "Where will I live while you're gone?"

Mom spoke up, clearly because she thought my dad would start shouting again, "We already have that arranged." She walked towards me and put a hand on my shoulder, "Since we have no family that can take you in, you'll be living with a family friend."

I nodded. Mom was right about the lack of family. Dad was an only child, and Mom's one siblings was unfit of taking in a teenager. Uncle Garrett was in AA and unemployed. But what family friend?

"Who?" I asked softly, realizing that I felt extremely vulnerable. My parents were just shipping me off a family that I probably didn't know. I trusted Mom and Dad, but I was still worried.

Mom squeezed my shoulder, "Her name is Carole Hudson; we've been friends since high school. She has a son named Finn, he's close to your age, I think a couple years older. Does that ring any bells?"

Actually, it did. It rang a bell with images of a boy with dark hair a knack for singing. Finn! Now I remembered. Finn and I were best friends since I was in diapers. We'd have play dates together all the time, and he'd play with me on the playground when I started school. I thought of him as the older brother I never wanted. At least I would be with people that I knew. But, I had to move back to Lima?

"So, I have to move back to Lima." I stated to myself, then looked at Mom and Dad, "Do they know I'm coming?"

Mom smiled, "Yes, I called them a few days ago." She pulled me in for a hug, "We're going to go out for a nice dinner, then we'll go home and pack." I felt her start to rub my back, "Don't worry, honey. Everything will be okay."

I didn't respond because I was praying to myself that Mom was right.


	2. Chapter 02

Chapter Two: You Say Goodbye, but I Say Hello

That Same Evening: Lima, OH

Finn

Mom and Burt took Kurt and me out to dinner, Breadstix to be exact. We normally never go to Breadstix unless something special happened. Last time we came here for dinner, Burt announced that he was running for Senate, but then Sue came up and set down a plate with a burger that was basically a heart attack on a bun in front of Burt. That wasn't cool, because Burt had a heart attack a while ago due to another heart problem, and she knew that. It was one of Sue's cruel taunts, but I will admit that the burger was delicious (if Burt wasn't going to eat it, someone had to.)

_Anyway_, I pondered Mom and Burt's reasoning behind all of this. I also started playing with the napkin that was lying in front of me.

As I opened my mouth to speak, Kurt beat me to the punch, "So, the trend is that you two bring us here for dinner every time something big happens. Are you pregnant, Carole?"

My eyes widened, "Mom, you're pregnant?!"

Mom sighed, "No, I am _not_ pregnant."

"Damn," Kurt sighed disappointedly, leaning against the cushioned booth we shared. "I wanted to throw the baby shower."

Mom and Burt chuckled, and I smirked. That was Kurt for ya, always wanted to be involved in something he could be head of the decorating committee. Kurt would probably be the _entire_ decorating committee if given the chance.

Burt spoke up, "Nope, sorry to disappoint, son. We have even bigger news, and it does involve this family growing!"

"Are we taking in a foreign exchange student?" I blurted. We already had one! (Rory, he's Irish.)

"Will you two relax and let us finish a thought?" Mom demanded, narrowing her eyes at me.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, sitting up, because my mother was giving me a look that read she'd kill me if I didn't pay attention, and looking at Burt, "Please, continue."

Burt smirked at the fact that a 6'3'' football player/leader of Glee Club was still scared of his mother. I'm pretty sure every guy was scared of their mom, at least the smart ones were. Burt took a drink of his water and cleared his throat, "Like I was saying we have big news involving our family growing." He looked at my mom and grinned, "How about you explain it, honey?"

"Gladly," Mom smiled, turning her eyes on me again, "Finn, sweetheart, you remember the Lewis family right? Their daughter Cleo?" She looked at me with questioning and hopeful expression.

It didn't take long for me to remember. Cleo Lewis was like my best friend, no wait, she _was_ my best friend. Her mom and my mom were best friends during high school, so when they had kids of their own, they made sure we played together all the time. Cleo and I had play dates nearly every day, and we were neighbors. After spending that much time with a person, they become very important in your life. She was my little sister, since neither one of us had siblings. I was pretty protective of her. When she started elementary school, I made sure no one messed with her. I also kinda scared off any boy that seemed like trouble, because she was _way too _young for a boyfriend; I mean, all the kids started in like fourth grade, which I never understood. If fourth graders were doing anything that real couples did, that was nasty.

Anyway, back on the subject of Cleo! We always talked about what our lives would be like when we were older, in like high school and all the fun we had. But that fantasy got crushed by reality when her family moved to Chicago six years ago. I remembered being really upset when Cleo moved; it took a few months for the sadness to go away. But, as I got interested in football and met some other friends, my memories of Cleo became distant, though never forgotten. I still have a picture of the two of us tucked away safely in a desk drawer (one that wasn't confiscated by my mom for the photo albums.)

I couldn't stop the smile that I got, "Of course I remember!" I noticed the weird look Kurt was giving me, "Cleo was a girl that I've known since she was practically born. Mom and her mom were best friends when they were teenagers, and the Lewis's were our neighbors until they moved. Her dad is an extremely successful surgeon." My explanation got a few nods from Kurt. I looked at Mom and asked excitedly, "Are they moving back?"

Mom looked pleased that I remembered, "Well, not exactly. Dr. Lewis has an opportunity to move his practice to France, and he and his wife need to move to Paris for a year to see if it can work out."

"What does this have to do with us?" Kurt inquired, "Do we have an old lawnmower of theirs they need back for Paris?" His dry sense of sarcasm was kind of killing my excitement.

Mom laughed, "No, Kurt. Dr. and Mrs. Lewis want Cleo to finish high school in America. I am listed as Cleo's custodial guardian on their wills if anything were to happen to them, so, thanks to family court, I am Cleo's current guardian."

"Wait a second…" I found myself lost for words. Did she really mean that…?

"Cleo's moving in with us." Burt finished up, "We wanted to tell you boys before she got here."

"Before she got here?" Kurt repeated, looking utterly confused, "When is she coming?"

Burt and Mom exchanged a long look, then looked at Kurt and me, "Tomorrow." They answered in unison.

"What?!" Kurt and I shot back in unison, glancing at each other. Being in a glee club did make it easier for you to talk in sync with someone else.

"We wanted to tell you sooner, but I got the call from Mrs. Lewis only two days ago. I'm pretty sure Cleo just found out too, because her mother told me that they hadn't discussed it yet." Mom explained, "I'm sorry that it's such short notice, but the girl needs a home."

Kurt blinked, but said, "Hey, at least I'll have someone in the household that will faun over the attractive stars in musicals and boy bands." He shrugged his shoulders, smirking at me, "No matter what I tried, you're a tough cookie to crumble, Finn."

I smiled, "Sorry 'bout that, I tried that one time with NSYNC, but I just couldn't."

"I appreciate the effort." Kurt said nonchalantly.

I nodded, still smiling. After six years, I was getting my best friend back. I just hoped Cleo was as excited about coming back to Lima as I was to be able to see her.

The Next Day: Chicago, IL

Cleo

The day finally arrived. Moving day! Well, more like 'Going to Lima alone while Mom and Dad go to a different country together.' I guess you could say I was still bitter.

I had to deal with probably the toughest part of moving, which was saying goodbye to all my friends. I called them all the night before, and after calming down numerous protests from each of my friends, I told them they could come to the airport with me. I wanted people there with me before I stepped on the plane. Mom and Dad got on their plane about a half hour ago.

No one was at the airport yet, and my plane was taking off in less than an hour. I knew my friends were coming; I just wanted them here now. When my parents' flight took up, I felt so alone, to the point I could burst out in tears. I sat with my carryon bag, fondling with the zipper.

"Oh sweetie!" I heard a familiar voice call out. Looking ahead of me, I saw my best friends Kennedy, Becca, and Vince walking in my direction. Actually, Kennedy was running, her curly blonde hair flying behind her like a lion's mane. I dropped my carryon and ran towards her, and the two of us crashed together in a hug. "You can't do this; you can't leave me!" Kennedy said as we held each other.

I didn't say anything at first. Kennedy was my first friend in Chicago; we'd met at school and just couldn't be separated. She was my first best friend, besides Finn, but I hadn't seen Finn in six years. I was scared of going back, because there was a chance that Finn grew up to be a different guy than what I imagined or wanted. Kennedy would always be Kennedy; I didn't know her back when she was little, so I didn't have the chance to watch her change. Finn was now, what, eighteen? Oh God, there was no way he was the same person when he was twelve.

"I'm really sorry about this, guys." I said as I let go of Kennedy and hugged Becca and Vince.

Becca tuck her auburn hair behind her ears, "There's nothing to apologize about, Cleo. This isn't your fault," she said, smiling and trying to sound comforting. Becca and I became friends in seventh grade when we were assigned to work on a project together and discovered we lived across the street from each other. While Kennedy was hyper and brash, Becca was collected and careful. Combine that with my sarcasm and friendly but stubborn personality, the three of us were our own Golden Trio.

Then there was Vince. He was our silent strong type guy, who came in my life when I was in sixth grade. Kennedy and I saw that he was sitting alone the first day at lunch, so we joined him. Then, everything just fell into place. Our other friends started sitting with us, and Vince just became a member of the group.

Vince, who was nearly six feet tall and a good four inches taller than me, pulled me in his arms and rested his chin on my head. Now, I know what y'all are thinking, and no, Vince and I never dated, nor did we want to. Like Finn, Vince became a brother figure to me and would actually give good advice on guys. Also, when I was 'heartbroken' by Joey Castillo towards the end of eighth grade, Vince offered to be my date for social so I would have someone to slow dance with. He was just a sweet guy, and along with Kennedy, Becca, and a lot of other people, I would miss him terribly.

"We'll miss you, Clue." He said, and hearing my nickname (driven from the fact _Clue_ was my favorite movie when I was in middle school) made me want to cry, "I know you'll be okay, and thanks to modern technology, you'll call right?" I looked up and saw Vince give me his signature half smile, that would probably make me swoon if we were such good friends. Vince was such an attractive kid, with his shaggy dark blonde hair, bright green eyes, and perfect fair skin. He looked like the lost member of One Direction, but in the best way possible.

I squeezed tighter before letting go, "I'll miss you too. And yeah, thank the Lord for cell phones and Skype." I added, looking at the three of them with a smile.

Kennedy and Becca nodded in agreement, but then suddenly Kennedy's eyes went wide.

"What?" I asked, then repeated when she didn't respond, "What?"

"I _may_ have invited Trevor to come say goodbye to you." Kennedy replied, saying the first half of the sentence slowly then said the last half so fast I almost didn't understand.

"_WHAT_?" I nearly shouted, my voice echoing and bouncing off the walls. I didn't think you could hear an echo in an airport; the place was gigantic and spacious. "Kennedy, what the hell were you thinking? Were you even _thinking_?" Trevor was my ex-boyfriend, and I mean _ex._

Kennedy retreated, "I'm sorry, but _he_ called _me_ saying how much he missed _you_, and it _kinda_ slipped out that you were moving. He got really upset, I swear he was _crying_ on the other line, and I told him we were all coming to the airport to say goodbye to you, I mean, I took pity on him. He was just _so_ _sad_, and I didn't know what else to do." She began to babble nervously.

I sighed, "Kennedy, didn't I warn you about how dramatic that boy can be?" Oh God, I didn't want to see him. I looked up at the big screen in the middle of the airport that announced when flights were leaving and coming in. My flight to Lima was going to start loading in ten minutes. "He better show up soon; I can't miss my plane."

Right as I said that, speak of the devil, I heard a male voice cry out, "Cleo, wait!" I sighed, and saw a tall lanky boy with curly black hair running towards me. If I didn't recognize the dark curls, I'd surely recognize the beat up black Converses on his feet, the old ripped at the knee rocker jeans and tight black V-neck t-shirt. It was a typical Trevor outfit. Also, his favorite silver dog tag necklace was bouncing off his chest as he jogged towards me.

I drew in a quick breath. This was the first time in three weeks I'd seen Trevor and seeing him running towards me brought back old feelings of wanting, familiarity, and attraction. But, I remembered that he was my ex-boyfriend for a reason, so I shook those feelings out as quickly as I could. Plus, it wasn't like he was unattractive. He reminded me of a young John Mayer, because everyone thought he looked like John Mayer and I will admit Trevor was fantastic at playing guitar. He wasn't as good as Mayer, but he had the potential. A lot of girls wanted him, and out of all of them, Trevor chose me.

I was sucked in the world of Trevor when I started high school. He was a grade ahead of me, but we had the same math class. From the first time I met him, I knew he was an adventure. Trevor took me to homecoming that year, and the rest was history. I felt magical and special when Trevor and I started dating. Hell, I even thought I was in love with him. We did almost everything together, went to movies, concerts, and he even took me to see the Blue Man Group at the Briar Street Theatre. We also started our own band, Underground Confessions, with Trevor's friends Howie and Pete. Trevor played guitar and sang backup; I was lead vocal. As much fun as I had being in a band and making music, which is my passion in life, I quit the band a couple months ago when I discovered Howie and Pete were doing drugs. Trevor claimed that he never touched the stuff, but I remembered a few occasions when his eyes were tinted red and had a huge craving for Fritos. We all know what that meant.

Anyway, Trevor and I dated for a pretty long time, almost a year and a half. A couple months before the breakup, Trevor constantly tried having sex with me. He always told me that he loved me, but I would always reject, telling him I wasn't ready. The last time he tried, we got into a huge fight. He claimed that since I wouldn't sleep with him I didn't care about him or our relationship. Then he left and didn't speak to me for a month. That was it for me. I broke it off with him. Why did he want to see me?

"Hey," Trevor said, sounding a little out of breath. He grinned at me.

I gave a small wave, "Um, hey." I did my best to smile at me. I turned around. Five minutes until I had to start loading. I looked back at Trevor, "I'm really sorry, but you really need to make it quick. My flight leaves in—"

Before I could finish my statement, Trevor wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the lips. I should have been used to it; we kissed a lot when we were together. His lips tasted the same, like coffee and sweat. At first I was rigid, but it didn't take long for me to kiss back. I don't know why I kissed back, maybe because it was habit. I broke the kiss, remembering that my friends were watching us.

"I'm gonna miss you," I said quickly, "Because I've known you so long." Despite the fact I terminated our relationship and he was an idiot, I'd known Trevor and grew familiar with him. Knowing that I won't see him every day felt wrong.

Trevor chuckled, "Oh, you're going to miss because of other reasons," his voice was a whisper, "For the same reasons I'll miss you. I love you, Cleo."

I stepped back from him, "Trevor." I started shaking my head slowly, "You know it's over. It's only been a few weeks, but still, it's over." I breathed.

"It's not that easy, Cleo." Trevor said, "You can't get rid of me that easily, chickie." Ugh, I hated that nickname, even though I use to love it.

"Trevor, I'm moving, to _another state_. We won't have many opportunities to see each other in person. I mean, you can sit in on a Skype sess with someone." I glanced back at Becca and Kennedy, who both nodded, "We won't work out. The distance is a problem."

"Lima's in Ohio, right?" Trevor asked, adding after I nodded, "That's only a few hours away! The commute is worth it." One thing I will give Trevor, he's persistent. "We will see each other again, Cleo. Remember that." I saw that he was looking up, and I turned to see that the flight to Lima was loading, meaning I needed to go.

I at everyone, Kennedy, Becca, Vince, even Trevor, and I gave them a sad smile, "I guess this is goodbye. I love, well kinda love, all of you, and I'll try and call as soon as I can." With that, and another hug from all my friends, I grabbed my carryon and walked towards the plane.

Right when I got on, I sat in my seat and started to cry. The tears were for the friends I'll miss, and I guess the love I'll miss. I hated to admit it, but I think I do love Trevor. Ah hell.


	3. Chapter 03

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading, and if you have anything to say, please comment! I want to hear from y'all! I also do not own Glee, or any of their characters. All I own is the plot and my characters. I'm pretty sure that I'm staying true to Finn's character, but if I'm not, I'm sorry! Enjoy! :D **

Chapter Three: I'll Stand by You

Cleo

The flight to Lima was not even a half hour. It was kind of a waste of money for me to fly, but I had no other option, because Mom and Dad weren't able to drive me to Lima, nor were they interested in flying with me to Lima. I mean, it wasn't like they were shipping their _only child_ to a _different city_ in a _different state_ in a _different country_ than they would be. They were so lucky that Lima was my comfort zone. I was still upset with my parents; they could have handled this situation so much better, but so far it's gone horribly wrong. At least they promised me that Finn and his mother would pick me up from the airport.

I thought a lot while on the plane, about my parents a little, but mostly about Finn and Trevor. I was so nervous but so excited about seeing Finn, and then Trevor's kiss was still fresh on my mind and lips. Why can't I go back to being ten when I get to Lima? Life was simpler then.

Soon, I heard a voice telling everybody to get ready for landing. I looked around at the others on my flight. They were mostly businessmen that took this flight as a stop towards a bigger city, then a few older couples who looked like they were heading on vacation in the middle of the year (I mean, it was something you did when you're retired.) Flying coach was affordable but not comfortable, since I was stuck between an elderly man who was asleep the entire flight and a petite African-American woman in a polished business suit that was glued to her iPhone. I had my ear buds in, listening to a variety of music, from Journey to Demi Lovato. Currently, I was listening to 'One Step at a Time' by Jordin Sparks, which seemed to comfort me. The upbeat, catchy song played through my mind as I stuffed my iPhone in my carryon bag and got prepared to unload from the plane. I wanted off so desperately; planes made me feel claustrophobic.

About ten minutes later, we were allowed off the plane. I stood up eagerly and nearly ran over the American-American woman in my dash towards the exit. It felt so freeing to be off the plane, but now I was standing in an enormous airport without anyone with me. Part of me wanted to cry out for my mother, but she was currently on a nine hour flight to Paris. The thought of being on a plane for that long made me queasy. Maybe it was best that I didn't go with my parents. It might just be the fact I was angry with them, but I was happy that I was back in Lima without my parents. I've never been on my own before, and I actually felt like an independent woman (even though my dad would still pay for my cell phone bill.)

I wandered around the airport, picked up my luggage from the luggage check-out, did a small happy dance when I discovered the airline didn't lose my luggage, and finally settled down in a large waiting area, where I saw people standing and holding signs for those they were picking up. My eyes darted around the large expanse, searching yet desiring for a sign with my name on it.

Finally, before all hope was lost, a large poster board with 'CLEO LEWIS' spelled out in Sharpie stuck out to me. I stood up to find that a tall guy with dark hair was holding the sign straight up, making it extremely easy to see because he cleared six feet. He was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and a dark grey zip-up hoodie. From the spaced-out confused look on his face and the fact I realized he looked like an older version of the boy I left for Chicago, I knew who it was. Finn.

Finn. Finn! _Finn! FINN!_

I smiled as widely as I could manage, cupped my hands around my mouth, and cried, "Hey Finnster! How about you look in front of you?!" Hopefully he'd recognize the nickname I came up for him when we were kids.

Finn looked around for a moment, but when he looked at me, I saw the smile grow on his face. He handed the sign to the boy next to him and started jogging towards me. I did the same, kind of like what happened between Kennedy and I. But instead of feeling sad, I never felt so happy in days. It was weird that I could go from being somber in Chicago to absolutely excited in Lima. Maybe a change of scenery was the best.

We hugged and Finn lifted me as if I was the football we'd always use to play catch. Finn twirled me around once, and we both started laughing.

"Oh my God, Cleo, is that really you?" Finn set me down, "Man, you really grew up!"

I grinned, "Yep, it's me. Lil CJ." I couldn't help but laugh at the sound of my old nickname. "You really grew up too, Finn! You're like a giant!" I giggled, feeling giddy like a little girl getting her first Barbie's Dream House.

Finn sighed, but still smiled, "I'm so happy you're back, Cleo." His dark eyes scanned me as he took in all the changes that befallen upon me in the six years we didn't see each other.

I did the same, and aside from the height, Finn really didn't look that different. Sure, he'd gotten extremely good-looking, but I'd always thought he was pleasing to the eye. I mean, when I was eight, I considered the two of us falling in love and getting married, but I knew that would never happen. As I looked at Finn, I knew I loved him, but I loved him in a sibling way rather than romantic. Plus, every eight-year-old girl considered marrying their closest guy friend at the time.

"I'm really happy to see you too, Finn," I finally said, drawing in a breath. "I was afraid that we wouldn't recognize each other." I thought of this moment and played it out for my mind in different ways, all of them awkward. I feared the thought of Finn and I unable to communicate, unable to be like the way things were. But, now that I was actually here, actually standing in front of him and speaking to him, my fear was gone.

"Like that's possible," Finn countered, "For as much time as we spent together, not even six years could make me unable to know my best friend when I see her." He smiled at me.

I felt like I could cry tears of happiness, but all my tears dropped during my flight. Instead, I hugged him again. "It's good to be home."

Finn

Wow. When I first laid eyes on Cleo, I flashed back to the day she left six years ago. That day, she was only ten, I only twelve. I had started hitting my growth spurt, so I towered over her. We were both pretty sad that day, so when we hugged goodbye, I held her tightly and spun her around like she was a toy. I know it may sound extremely dramatic, but it was hard to watch the girl I grew up with leave like that. It'd be like Rachel leaving me now.

But, even though Cleo was that same girl from six years ago, she was completely different. Her hair was still dark, but now it was tinted red like she dyed it. Her eyes were still that kind of brown that glittered gold in the light, but now I could see the eye makeup she wore. Her smile was still big and friendly, but now it was matured and had a slight smirk. The biggest thing that changed was her body. I will admit, even as someone in a committed relationship, puberty treated Cleo well. She got _hot_. She had slight curves, boobs, and looked great in the black t-shirt, large cheetah print mini-skirt, and red shoes that I think were those Toms that are so popular. Wait, did I just describe a girl's outfit? Kurt must be rubbing off on me, not like that's a bad thing, I guess. Don't girls like when you notice what they wear? I know Rachel does.

Whatever. I just knew my best friend looked beautiful, and I was so glad she was back in my life.

"I'm really happy you're back," I repeated as Cleo released us from our hug, "I mean, it sucks because your parents aren't here, but hey, we're gonna make sure that doesn't affect anything!" I added. As much as I thought Mrs. Lewis was nice and good at cooking and I respected Dr. Lewis for being a hard worker and so successful, what they did to Cleo wasn't really cool. Who ditches their kid for Paris? I don't think my mom or Burt would do that. Sure, they have to go to DC a lot, but they're still in the country.

Cleo nodded, "Yeah, it'll be weird without them, but they put me in capable hands." Her smile came back, then she looked behind me, "Is that your mom?" she asked.

Oh yeah! "Yeah!" I turned around and motioned for Mom, Burt, and Kurt to come over towards us, "I also have some other important people to introduce you to." As soon as the three of them were next to me, I cleared my throat, "Cleo, you know my mom." I motioned towards her, then moved my hand in front of Burt, "This is my step-dad, Burt Hummel." I leaned and pointed at Kurt, "Finally, my friend and step-brother, Kurt Hummel."

Burt nodded his hand, "Nice to meet you, Cleo."

"Pleasure." Kurt added after him. Both men smiled at Cleo.

Cleo tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, "Nice to meet you both." She returned the smile.

Mom stepped forward, pulling Cleo towards her and hugging her. "Hi, sweetie! I'm so happy to see you!" she said to Cleo.

Cleo hugged back gently, "I'm happy to see you too, Mrs…um…." She looked utterly confused and laughed. "Sorry, I just don't know what to call you now. Um..."

Instead of getting insulted, Mom laughed, "Just call me Carole, sweetie!"

"Oh okay." Cleo's face went pink, "Um, Carole." I could tell that she was nervous.

I noticed that Cleo was surrounded by luggage, and I remembered that we have to move her in our house. "Hey, you want some help with that?" I offered, grabbing the biggest duffle bag and easily slung it on my shoulder.

"Oh yeah, the luggage!" Cleo groaned, "You don't have to carry it, Finn."

"Please, honey," Kurt chimed in, grabbing one of the small suitcases, "It looks like you brought all of Chicago with you. Take any and all help you can get." He sounded sarcastic, but he smiled at Cleo as Burt and Mom each took a bag.

Cleo still had to carry a suitcase and a carryon. Man, she did pack a lot, but she was moving, and it was such short notice I wouldn't be surprised if she shoved everything she could in all those bags.

"So, you were born here, is that right, Cleo?" Burt asked during our trek to the parking lot.

"Yeah, born and mostly raised," Cleo responded, "I moved to Chicago when I was ten."

"Why did you move in the first place?" Kurt inquired.

"Well, my father's practice had to move to a bigger city, and Chicago was our best option." Cleo answered, smiling slightly, "It's funny, I leave this place for six years, but I'm more comfortable here than I was back in Chicago."

I smirked, "Good, but you'll probably feel more comfortable once we get home. I know how much you dislike airports." I almost added how I knew Cleo disliked planes in general, but I didn't want to see like a complete know-it-all, even though the opportunity for me to be one was rare.

Cleo laughed, "I'm surprised you remember that." She looked up at me and for a moment I could see the little ten year old girl again. Man, I needed to stop doing that. Cleo wasn't ten anymore, and she would probably get upset if I treated her as such.

"I mean, I knew you hated airplanes and flying in general, so why would you like airports?" I shrugged my shoulders and grinned at Cleo.

She just smiled and shook her head. We all walked in silence for a while until we got to Burt's pickup truck. Burt, Cleo and I loaded her luggage in the back of the truck, and everyone else got in the truck as Burt covered the back. Kurt, Cleo, and I had to cram in the back seat. Cleo was sandwiched between Kurt and I, leaving me pressed against the left side of the truck. We didn't even need seatbelts; why would we if we didn't even have personal space? I wasn't help because I was the biggest out of everyone. As cool as it was being taller than everyone, I sometimes hated my body. My insecurities weren't my best feature, and I did my best to hide the fact I had them.

We drove for a period of time in silence, expect for the radio. I heard several familiar eighties songs, but found myself too uncomfortable to sing along, or even hum.

"So, this is cozy." Kurt commented sarcastically, probably trying to find a way to break the awkward silence, "Well, I feel very close to you already, Cleo."

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual." Cleo responded, attempting to lean towards Kurt, but since we were squished together it was impossible.

Cleo, Kurt, and I laughed, and I saw Mom smiling at us through the rearview mirror. I think she was happy too that Cleo was back, but I noticed that her eyes were a little somber. Maybe she was thinking the same thing I was: Why did Dr. and Mrs. Lewis leave her like this?

No matter what their reasons were, I knew that Cleo would be fine. She was with her second family! I found myself smiling at Mom and her smiling back at me.

"Sorry 'bout the space you guys," Burt said from the driver's seat. "I forgot that we'd have three teenagers on the ride home. Kurt and Finn barely fit in the back," he chuckled as he finally pulled in the driveway of our home. "Home sweet home!"

I glanced at Cleo and saw her eyes get slightly wider, "I see that you moved." She said, glancing back at me.

I laughed as I opened the car door, making an attempt to get out. I nearly fell out of the truck, but I managed to catch myself.

"Oh Finn, you've always been the graceful one," Cleo joked as she and Kurt followed me out of the truck. She titled her head, "Need any help?" Before I could answer, she stepped towards me and brushed some dirt off my shirt.

"Thanks, short stuff," I grinned, patting the top of her head, just like when we were kids. Cleo reacted the same way too, ducking and jumping away from me.

She started giggling, "Hey, I have my eye on you, Hudson!"

I ran after her, "You think you can out run a quarterback?" I shot out before going after her like I was playing football. I didn't know what got into me, but we were suddenly five and seven years old again, chasing each other around the park.

Before I knew it, I tackled Cleo to the ground, like what usually happened in our younger days. But, when I looked down, I didn't see a giggling little girl. I saw a young woman smiling at me. I got a real look at Cleo for the first time. Her eyes were warm and inviting like melted chocolate mixed with caramel, her skin was so clear and smooth like a doll, her lips were pink and soft like rose petals. I felt my face get hot. Was I actually blushing?

Cleo brought me back because she started laughing. I could feel her hands on my torso, trying to push me off, "Finn, get off! You got heavy!" She teased, then she really started wriggling, "Plus, you're crushing my boobs and respiratory system!"

Boobs? Oh God! I got up quickly, "D-Did I touch them?" I demanded, putting my hands in the air like I was about to get arrested. I hoped I didn't; that's so inappropriate! She's basically my little sister! And I have a girlfriend!

"No worries, Finnster," Cleo said, getting up and brushing off her clothes. "I just forgot how rough we got when we were younger." She grinned at me, but I noticed the pink on her face. We made serious eye contact and it got real silent. I was confused on what was going on.

Kurt suddenly interjected, "If I may," he was looking at me with his eyebrows raised. "I think we could use some help with the bags. If you two could stop playing tag or whatever it is, that would be lovely." Man, Kurt really had a 'tude today. I saw Burt give him a warning look.

"Kurt," Burt started, but was stopped by Mom.

Cleo walked towards the truck, "No, it's fine, they're my bags, I should be unloading them." She said to Burt and Mom. Without another word, she followed the two adults inside. It was just me and Kurt.

I faced him, "You could be a little nicer." I told him.

"Oh, whatever do you mean?" Kurt retorted, grabbing a small piece of luggage from the truck.

"You and I both know that tone you had with Cleo was kinda rude."

"Actually, I had that tone with_ both_ of you." Kurt corrected, "Look, Finn, I think Cleo's great, but how would you feel if my childhood friend suddenly popped back in the picture and acted all cutesy while you had to watch?" He asked, walking towards me.

I blinked, "I guess I didn't think of that. Sorry, Kurt."

"I should apologize too," Kurt said, standing in front of me and looking up. "How about we just focus on getting her moved in and comfortable? Also, what was that little scene I witnessed?"

He obviously meant when I tackled her. I felt my face get hot out of embarrassment, "Just something we did a lot as kids. We were messing around, ya know."

Kurt nodded, walking towards the house, "You do know that you guys aren't kids anymore, right? If you keep those shenanigans up, you might just fool her, and maybe yourself, into thinking what you guys have is something way more than it needs to be. Remember that."

I turned around and watched him walk through the front door. What did that mean? Cleo and I were just friends, nothing more. Sure, she was my closest, childhood friend; there was nothing else. At least, that's what I thought. That's what it had to be! I refused to leave Rachel, I loved her too much. I love Cleo too, but not in the same way.

Utterly confused, I grabbed the rest of Cleo's luggage and trudged towards the house.


	4. Chapter 04

**Sup guys! I just want to thank you again for reading, and I really hope you enjoy my writing. I'm sorry if any of the Glee characters seem out of character, I'm doing my best. Plus, I had writer's block while writing this. I accept any and all constructive criticism and reviews! Enjoyyyyyy. (: (side note: I will do my best to update more often.)**

Chapter Four: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Cleo

Okay, so the day has come, my first day at my new school McKinley High. This had to be a dream. Nevertheless, when I woke up and realized I wasn't in my bed back in Chicago, but instead in the guest bedroom of the Hummel-Hudson home, I knew it wasn't. I sat up and stared at the walls, which were painted a light purplish gray.

"The paint color is called Chicago Skies," Finn had told me last night when I first saw the room. "I thought you would appreciate it." When I looked up at him, he was giving me a sheepish smile.

Kurt was with us too. "I'd appreciate it Cleo," he said to me, "It's as close to interior decorating as he gets."

I laughed in response and smiled at the two boys. "I think it's great." I saw Finn's smile grow, as if he passed a test.

Now the walls were the only thing I saw. Kurt and Finn were probably still asleep; I looked over and saw my alarm clock read '5:00 AM.' I let out a quiet groan, knowing that if I tried going back to sleep I'd fail. I always had sleep problems as a kid; I use to be prescribed on sleep medication but got off it when I didn't wake up for 30 hours. I swung my legs over and stood up. After a quick stretched, I trudged out of my 'bedroom' in my grey spaghetti strapped tank top and leopard cotton pajama bottoms. My hair was piled in a top knot, and I looked like a mess. But, I didn't care at the moment; I needed a hot shower.

Carole helped me unpack my toiletries last night, because she was the only one that understood my discomfort with men seeing my tampons (even Kurt, despite the fact he's gay.) Plus, Carole and I were now sharing a bathroom. It didn't take long until I had the water going and I stepped inside. I tried not to make any noise so I didn't wake anybody up. Since I was up so early, I took my sweet time. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed being able to scrub my hair and getting clean. Yes, I liked showers a little too much. They were peaceful; I also adore good hygiene.

I finally finished and stepped out, breathing in the steamy air. I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and wrapped myself in its plush fabric. After picking up my dirty clothes, I tiptoed out back to my room, where I put my PJs back on and lay in bed. I took several deep breaths. I just laid there. _Everything will be fine Lewis;_ I thought to myself and actually found myself drifting back to sleep.

The clock read '6:15 AM' when I awoke to movement. I yawned and sat up in bed, seeing Finn walking down the hallway. He was still in crumpled pajamas and his hair stuck out in crazy places.

He stopped in front of my door, seeing that I was kind of awake. "Good, you're up," he said, half-tired. "We have a bunch of cereal downstairs, so I guess that's breakfast."

I snorted as I got out of bed, "Works for me." I yawned again, "I will have to show you guys my appreciation by cooking a meal at some point." I combined through my damp hair with my fingers. "I make a mean macaroni." I smiled at Finn.

Finn nodded, "Cool. I like macaroni." He averted his eyes from mine, "I'm gonna go have some cereal." Then, he walked down the hallway.

Weird. Finn seemed extremely awkward, but he was still adjusting to me being there. Plus, he must not have been a morning person. I didn't think into his actions and decided to get dressed. I unzipped one of my suitcases, one specifically for clothes and shoes, and rummaged through its contents.

I tossed out the things I wanted to wear: a clean bra, clean underwear, denim shorts with a brown woven belt, a black V-neck t-shirt, and with some deeper digging, a ¾ sleeve blazer and dark gray laced up heeled boots. Without even trying, I found a silver necklace with a key pendant and my lucky gold cross ring. I guess you could say I wanted to make a good impression on my new classmates. I stood up to shut the door and changed. I sighed and wished for my standing floor mirror to check myself, but Mom and Dad said my furniture wouldn't be there for a few more days.

I was finishing off my makeup when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in!" I replied, and heard the door click open.

"You look nice," It was Kurt. I turned around to find him fully dressed, holding his school bag and grinning at me, "Trying to impress?"

I nodded and smiled, "Thanks, I wish my hair would behave. I like what you're wearing too." I honestly did. He was wearing a beige cashmere sweater with dark skinny jeans and dark brown oxfords. He also didn't have a hair out of place.

Kurt smiled, "Thank you. Are you interested in some cereal?" he offered.

I nodded, "Sure." I grabbed my black studded slouchy tote and some new notebooks and binders before following Kurt.

Kurt added, "Also, your hair looks fine. Normally, I'd recommend a nice volumnizing mousse, but your hair is so straight and has fantastic shine."

My hands went to my hair. Kurt was right, it was fine. I couldn't feel any knots and it was actually pretty soft. "Oh, well that makes my morning better." I joked, and we shared a laugh.

"I'm actually thrilled to have you here, ya know." Kurt said to me as we walked in the kitchen, "I love Carole, but she's not always here to discuss hair care."

I chuckled, "Glad to hear that." I replied, looking in Kurt's eyes, which were a shade of hazel that also looked kind of gray too. But they were kind and that was all I cared about.

We entered the kitchen and found Finn chowing down on Coco Puffs. He still looked tired, and he appeared spaced out. Kurt snapped his fingers and Finn jerked his head and saw us.

"Oh, hey guys." Finn welcomed, motioning towards the Coco Puffs, "You guys want any?" He picked up the box and shook it. The box hardly made sound, so Finn turned it upside down. A single chocolate puff dropped onto the table. Finn fluttered his eyes, "Ah man. I knew I should have never had that third bowl. Sorry guys." He sat the box down and stood up, taking his empty bowl to the sink.

Finn started to walk out of the kitchen, but he almost bumped into me. He stopped and looked me up and down, almost like I was a foreign concept, a stranger. He sucked in a breath, "You look good." He said simply, "I better get ready." After giving me a half-smile, Finn walked past me.

I furrowed my brows. Why was Finn acting so weird?

"Don't look into that," Kurt commented, snacking on a yogurt, "He's extra dazed in the mornings." I wanted to believe him, but the look in Kurt's eyes read into something deeper. Something I didn't understand.

Instead of probing, I nodded, "Okay. He was like that as a kid, anyways." I laughed, "He's just odd."

"Yes, I agree with you on that one." Kurt chuckled as he finished his yogurt, "Yet you can't help but love the kid."

I nodded again, but didn't say anything. I did love Finn, but not romantically. At least, that's what I thought. It was all confusing for me, but I honestly thought I felt something more yesterday when Finn accidently tackled me. Maybe he felt the same way, and that could have been why he acted so strangely. I was afraid to ask; I've only been in town for a day and managed to complicate things.

Finn came down stairs a moment later, wearing a clean navy American Eagle polo, light washed jeans, and sneakers. He looked at me and we made eye contact. I couldn't help but smile. Kurt just stood next to me quietly. The three of us left for school. I slid in the backseat of his Jeep Cherokee and listened to Finn and Kurt's small talk. I didn't really pay attention, but they seemed like they were discussing something for a club.

The drive to school felt like five seconds, and I realized I wasn't ready to go inside. My palms became sweaty; my arms were covered by goose bumps. I just sat there with my eyes closed, hoping that when I opened them I would be safe in my bed in my old house when I lived in Lima the first time. I wished when I opened my eyes I would be in a life where I never left in the first place, so that when I walked inside that school I would have friends and not feel so alone. Sure, Finn was my best friend from my childhood and Kurt was so sweet, but I still felt lonely.

Was there something wrong with me? I was wishing for something I knew could never happen.

"Cleo? CJ?" Finn's gentle voice snapped me out of it, and I opened my eyes to find both Finn and Kurt looking at me. "Are you okay?"

Kurt leaned towards me and put his hands on mine. I realized they were clenched into fists. "It's gonna be okay. You have us." His smile put me at ease.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just being dramatic. You know how girls can be." I added as I smirked at both of them.

The two boys exchanged a look, then looked back at me. "Just know that if you need anything, just find one of us." Kurt told me as he released my hands.

"Yeah, if you need me to, I'll beat the crap out of anyone." Finn interjected. "Or I'll just make sure no one messes with you."

I laughed, "Thanks guys, but I think I can handle it, but I will keep your offers in mind." I grabbed my things and got out of the car.

"Do you have your schedule?" Finn asked as he walked with me to the entrance.

"It's in my bag." I told him, tucking hair behind my ears. We stopped right in front of the doors.

Finn nodded, "Good. Look, I have to go meet with someone, will you be okay?" His eyes were wide with concern. I appreciated that he cared, but he almost acted like I was still a little kid.

"Finn, relax," I replied, clutching my books to my chest, "I can handle this. I'm a big girl, remember?" I smiled at him and raised my eye brows.

He gave a small laugh, "Yeah. I mean, you'll never be big to me." His hand hovered above my head to emphasize the height difference. "I'll catch up with you and some point during the day, okay?"

I nodded my head, but before I could say anything, Finn pulled me in for a hug. It was a tight hug, and I could feel his chin resting on the top of my head. I couldn't move; Finn had me engulfed by his presence. We stood there for almost two minutes.

When Finn released me, he laughed nervously. "So, if you need anything, just call me, okay?" After saying that, he walked towards the entrance and disappeared in the crowd of other students.

I stood in front of the school, watching people walk inside. I forced a smile and said, "McKinley High, hit with your best shot." I laughed to myself before walking inside.


	5. Chapter 05

**Hello! We meet again! Seriously guys, I'm so appreciative of everyone who read. I would also appreciate reviews! **

Chapter Five: It's Like Learning to Fly, or Falling in Love

Cleo

My first day was a success. McKinley wasn't that bad of a place to be, I thought that I could manage two years at this place. Sure, mostly everyone ignored me, but I actually preferred that. Sometime I didn't like being in the spotlight. I was only comfortable with the spotlight when I was with my band and singing.

I actually missed the guys; Howie, Pete, hell even Trevor. Well, maybe not Trevor, he was an idiot. Howie and Pete were idiots too, but they were harmless. Trevor destroyed our relationship, burned in flames created from lust and stupidity. That kiss made me feel something when it first happened, but now that over twenty-four hours past, I realized all I felt was familiarity. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, Trevor was a fantastic kisser.

My thoughts of Trevor ended when I saw a gang of boys. I would have ignored them, but the hallways were pretty empty, so they stuck out. Three of them were wearing matching McKinley hockey jerseys and weird hairstyles that resembled mullets, and they had the last member of the group pinned against the lockers. The kid pressed up against the lockers looked terrified and dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. Two of the hockey players held the kid by his red t-shirt, while the third hockey player was taunting him.

"Well, well Irish," I heard the hockey player sneer, "Where's Hudson? Looks like he can't save ya now!"

Hudson? As in Finn Hudson? That kid knew Finn?

I dropped my bag and books, walking towards the group before I knew what I was doing.

"Hey," I called out to them, leaning against the entry way.

All four boys looked at me. The hockey players looked confused, but the kid against the lockers looked terrified and confused.

I did one of those flirtatious hair flips, "Is there a party that I wasn't invited to?" Okay, what the hell was I saying? Hopefully I was pretty enough to them that I wouldn't become their second victim.

The one that wasn't holding the kid laughed, "And who the hell are you exactly, sweet cheeks?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulder, "That's none of your concern." I replied, nodding my head at the kid, "Do you always make friends by holding them against their will?" I laughed one of those soft girly laughs, "I think you'd have more success if you tried a different method." I nodded towards their hair styles, "And maybe a haircut."

The kid against the lockers chuckled, but the two holding him shoved him aggressively against them. I heard a soft groan of pain. Poor guy. I made eye contact with him, trying to let him know I was doing the best I could.

The leader of the hockey players narrowed his eyes, "Who the hell do you think you are?" He huffed, flaring his nostrils.

"I'm just the new girl," I answered, widening my eyes, "Just trying to figure out how things work about here." I titled my head. "You really should let the kid go. Please?" I batted my eyes.

The leader laughed, "Cut the crap. Look, you're extremely hot, so how about you quit defending this lower and maybe go on a date with yours truly?" he raised his eyebrows at me.

I stood up straight and rolled my eyes again, "As tempting as that sounds, I'd rather do anything else." I nodded knowingly, "Look, I'm not asking. I'm telling you, let him go."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Weirdo hockey player guy asked, walking closer towards me, "Oh, that's right, _nothing_."

He was close enough, so I put both my hands on his shoulder and kneed him right in the family jewels. It was after-school hours, so I knew I wouldn't get in trouble. Plus, he started it.

The guy cried out in pain and fell to his knees, hands going to his crotch. The other three guys all stared at me with wide eyes.

"Hey, you can't just do that to the Stick!" the hockey player on my left cried out. He looked angry, but kind of scared. His friend had the same expression, but his mouth was gaped open like a fish out of water.

The guy against the locker looked pleased, but winced a little, probably at the thought of me kneeing his family jewels.

"Looks like I did." I replied, "And if you don't want the same thing to happen to you, I'd listen and let him go."

'The Stick' groaned out in pain again, and that was the ignition to release the kid, who dropped to the floor. The hockey players went to their leader, each grabbing and arm and helping to his feet.

The third hockey player spoke, "You okay Rick?"

Rick snapped, "Shut up!" He glared at me, "This isn't over! I don't care how hot you are, I'll get you for this!" He threatened, then looked at his friends and grumbled, "Let's get out of here."

The three hockey players scrambled down the hallway, and I watched until they were gone. I breathed through my nose and turned to the boy with blue eyes.

"You okay?" I asked, stepping closer towards him. He seemed like such a sweet guy, I couldn't imagine why those hockey players would want to hurt him. They seemed like morons anyways.

He nodded, "I want to thank ya." His thick Irish accent took me way off guard. That explains why the hockey players called him 'Irish.'

"What?" I blurted out with no thought. I brought a hand up to cover my mouth. I really needed to work on thinking before speaking.

"D-Did I speak too quickly?" the boy asked nervously; I saw his face go pink. "I tend to forget people have a hard time understanding me." Wow. He was so Irish I could smell potatoes and whiskey. (Is that considered racist?)

I shook my head and smiled, "No. I just – that was kind of unexpected." I giggled, "Sorry, I shouldn't have reacted that way." I realized he was still sitting on the ground, so I grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet.

The Irish kid smiled back as he stood up, and I had to admit he had a great smile. He was actually pretty good-looking in general. His hands were warm in comparison to the drafty hallway. We just stood there and looked at each other. I examined his dark hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and sheepish smile. Eventually our eyes met; the sensation of warmth returned to my face.

I looked down at the floor and laughed softly, letting go of his hands. "Um, I'm Cleo." I said finally, "Cleo Lewis.

Irish nodded, still smiling, "Rory. Rory Flanagan." He grabbed my hand again and awkwardly shook it. "Your hands are really cold."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out at first. I managed a laugh, "I was just thinking that yours are really warm."

We both awkwardly laughed and smiled at each other. I mentally kicked myself for being so damn awkward. So I saved a cute guy from a set of jerks, which meant I couldn't have a conversation with him? Fantastic.

Rory didn't seem to notice, because he kept the conversation going, "What brings you here, well still here after school?" he asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

I looked up at him. God, he was tall, "Well, I was looking for someone when I saw those hockey players had to against the lockers. I guess I had good timing."

"Good timing for me at least." Rory commented with a smile, "Really, thank you so much, Cleo. I owe you big time. "

I waved it off, "It was nothing, really. The moment that Rick guy started talking I disliked him already." I told Rory. "Does this happen often?" I raised my eye brows with concern.

Rory's smile went away and he nodded. "Yeah, they just don't really like me. It's probably the accent." He shrugged his shoulders, "People don't really like me at this school. I have friends, but most people still think I'm strange."

I sighed, but kept my smile, "I mean, I don't see why people would not like you? You seem like a sweet guy." I told him.

That comment made Rory smile again. "Oh, thanks. I do the best I can. I'm still adjusting to this country. At least someone appreciates me, and you've only known me a few minutes."

I shrugged, "I guess I have good judgment."

Rory's smile grew. "I have an idea." He declared, "Do you like to sing?"

I blinked, taken aback by his question. It was just so out of the blue. Then again, our meeting was pretty out of the blue. I decided to take a chance and nodded, "Yeah. It's kind of my only hobby."

"Come with me then." Rory replied, "I'm in the school's glee club. We could use any talent we can find. Anyone can audition whenever they want. Interested?"

What? A glee club? Show choir? I always wanted to join a show choir! My old school in Chicago didn't have one. But, before I jumped on the bandwagon, I hesitant and shook my head. "I don't know…"

"C'mon!" Rory continued, grabbing my shoulders gently and bending down to my eye level, "You're probably amazing!"

I sighed, "You have so much faith in me already; you just met me!" I retorted, finding myself pushing away. "Plus, what if the other members don't like me? Show choir can bring out the diva in some people."

"Well, yeah we have some divas and egos, but they'll love you." Rory said with a half-grin, "I'm their newest member, and they accepted me with arms wide open."

I couldn't help but smile at the sound of Rory's voice. Now I started to understand why girls loved accents. They were extremely attractive and pleasing to the ears. I could just stand there and talk to him for hours, just to hear his voice.

"I, um, uh," I stammered, no real words coming to mind.

Rory raised his eyebrows. "Look, I know we just met, but I'm going out on a limb here. I would really like it if you at least came with me and checked it out." He put his hands together like he was about to beg, "Please?"

I huffed, but gave in. "Oh, why not?"

"Yes! I knew you'd do it!" Rory exclaimed happily, pulling me close and hugging me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Okay, okay, okay! Put me down! Put me down!" I started laughing. I couldn't help it. I already like this Rory kid. He was sweet, when you gave him the chance, and I was in love with his accent.

Rory did as I said, setting me back on the ground. "Sorry. I got really excited." He said nervously. "Look, rehearsal starts pretty soon, don't want to late do we?"

I smiled and nodded, "Of course not." I replied as I grabbed my stuff off the floor. "Take the lead."

Rory grabbed my free hand, "It would be my pleasure."

We exchanged smiles before Rory lead me to the choir room. We made small talk about what exactly this glee club was all about, when it dawned on me I never questioned him about Finn.

"So, you know Finn Hudson?" I asked.

Rory nodded and continued walking. He let go of my hand, "Yeah, he was one of my first friends at this school. He's pretty awesome, and I really admire him." He had a serene smile when he said that. Rory glanced at me. "Why do you ask?"

I laughed, "Well, it just so happens to be that Finn was my first friend – ever."

Rory furrowed his brows in confusion. "I thought you were new here?" he replied quizzically.

"Technically," I told him, "I am new to this school, but Lima's my birthplace. I lived here until I was ten; that was when I moved to Chicago. Anyway, I've known Finn since I was in diapers. Our mothers were good friends, so one thing lead to another."

Rory nodded, "Ah I see."

"I live with him too."

That comment made Rory stop in his tracks. "What?"

I sighed, "It's a really long, complicated story." I started walking again. I didn't feel like discussing my entire life story with him.

"I can listen." Rory said as he followed me, "I'm a great listener." He added as he reached me.

"Nah, we can talk about it some other time. I thought you didn't want to late." I was definitely avoiding the subject.

Rory seemed to take the hint, "Yeah, you're right." Then, he stopped, standing in front of a door. "Here we are!" he told me with a smile. Raising a single brow, Rory asked, "Ready?"

I nodded, "Sure."

With that, Rory laughed and opened the door.


	6. Chapter 06

**Hey guys! Thanks for continuing with my story; I promise it will move a little faster. I will also be incorporating more Finn POV and even some Rory POV. Also, Cleo's voice sounds like a combination of Jordin Sparks and Demi Lovato, just to give you guys an idea. Please review!**

Chapter Six: Sing!

Cleo

I stood next to Rory and saw fourteen pairs of eyes staring at me. Fourteen students sat in plastic chairs, wait no, it was only thirteen. I felt slightly guilty as I saw the boy in the wheelchair. I didn't say anything inappropriate, but I felt bad for just assuming that he was in a normal chair.

An audible gulp escaped from my throat, and I felt Rory's blue eyes flick towards me.

"Hey Rory," said a tan guy with a Mohawk, "Who's your friend?"

Rory opened his mouth to speak, but another voice had beaten him to it, "Cleo."

I looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Finn staring at me with his jaw dropped.

Finn?

What. Was. Going. On?

The girl that sat next to Finn looked at him quizzically, "Who's 'Cleo?'" she demanded. I noticed that Finn had his arm around her, which obviously meant they were a couple. The girl brushed her dark brown hair behind her ears while waiting for an answer.

"A friend," Finn quickly shot at his girlfriend, then stood up. "Cleo, what are you doing here?"

"That's a good question, to be honest with you." I answered. I started to feel really awkward. I shot Rory a look, and he wore a panicked expression.

"If I may," I looked over and saw Kurt sitting in a car, which put me at ease, "I, for one, am happy to see Cleo, no matter her reasons for being here." He announced to the group and grinned at me. He was already my number one Gay.

A snort resonated in the room, "Good to know, Lady Hummel." said a Latina girl in a cheerleading uniform. Her arms crossed over her chest as her dark eyes locked on me, "Speak, Virgin Mary." The girl commanded.

"Virgin Mary?" I replied. "How do you—"

Latina girl interrupted me, "Please, sweetie, I can practically smell a virgin from a mile away." Her eyes moved to Rory, "With you and Pixie Boy standing next to each other, it almost makes my senses go crazy."

Did she basically just announce Rory was a virgin? I glanced at him, and his cheeks were pink.

"Santana, back off." Finn shot at the Latina girl, narrowing his eyes.

The Latina, Santana I guessed, rolled her eyes, "Calm down, Finn. I was just giving our friend here a nickname." She said as her lips pressed together in a tight, glossy line.

The girl next to Santana, a blonde white girl in a matching cheerleading uniform, looked at me, "You look like Demi Lovato." She said, and blinked her blue eyes. She looked around at everyone else, "Can we call her Demi?"

"Um, you can just call me Cleo." I chirped, "I would actually prefer that."

Everyone's eyes went back to me, and I felt like that shy introverted kid that had to give a presentation. My stomached twisted in knots, but after a moment I relaxed. They were all teenagers, like me. It wasn't like they were going to throw me in a trashcan or anything. Finn would kill anyone that tried.

The girl next to Finn stood up, smoothing out the retro styled midnight blue dress she wore. "Hello, Cleo." She greeted and stepped down to Rory and I, "My name is Rachel Berry. Welcome to New Directions." Rachel took my hand and shook it gently. Her huge smile reminded me of those Broadway stars that practiced smiling for shows and the camera, because it seemed a little forced.

"Um, thank you." I answered as I gripped my books tighter to me, "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything." My eyes searched the room for anyone who could possibly not want me there. So far, everyone looked intrigued by my presence. Not that I wasn't flattered by their interest, but I felt like a weird science experiment they were told to study.

"Oh, you're not interrupting anything," Rachel said, nodding her head. "Are you interested in joining?"

Joining? The glee club? I mean, I wanted so desperately to join a glee club, but I wasn't sure if I was ready. "Huh?" I found myself saying before I could think straight. I honestly felt like I was ambushed.

"Isn't that why you're here?" asked the black girl next to Kurt.

My natural reaction was to grin. "I mean, I really want to join, but I don't know." I explained and hoped someone would understand.

"Like the details of the club?" the black girl questioned, "We can give you a complete run through if you need."'

"It's not that, I understand the details." I tucked hair behind my ear, "I meant that I don't know if I have the, the talent."

"It can't hurt to try." commented the boy sitting next to Kurt, who sported a fantastic red bowtie.

Kurt nodded in agreement with the boy, "Yeah, just sing something. You said you liked singing right?"

"You love it." Finn declared, "I would know, remember that crappy karaoke we did when we were little?"

Finn and I laughed at the memories of us singing old disco music and classic rock. My mom bought me a karaoke machine when I was seven, and it came with CDs of certain types of music. The two of us would stay in my basement and sing for hours. I wondered if I still had that karaoke machine.

Everyone else in the room looked super confused, especially Rachel. Also, she started to get a crazy look in her eye, maybe it was jealousy?

"Hey guys," came a new voice, and we all turned and saw a guy in his late 20s – early 30s walked through the door. He carried a couple folders and had a leather men's messenger bag on his shoulder. The man wore a smile, and his eyebrows crinkled when he saw me, "Oh, and who do we have here?"

I blinked and remembered it was me he was speaking to. "Cleo Lewis." I replied, "I'm kind of the new girl."

The man nodded, "I'm Mr. Schuester, head of the glee club." He said, smiling, "Are you interested in joining?"

"That's what we were trying to figure out." Rachel said as she looked from Mr. Schuester to me multiple times. "If you don't want to, I understand." She looked back at me, "Auditioning in front of so many talented people, like me, can be pretty intimidating."

Right as Rachel said that, multiple people rolled their eyes. I swore I saw Mr. Schuester was one of them.

"If you don't want me to, I can leave." I offered. From the sound of it, Rachel didn't seem like she liked me. The last thing I wanted was to make enemies.

"I say go for it." Rory said, and I realized he had been silent for a decent amount of time. He smiled at me before he turned towards the rest of the glee club, "Do y'all agree?"

There was a chorus of 'yes's and I saw a lot of people nod their heads, including Kurt and Finn. Rachel looked at everyone, gave me one last look, and retreated back to her seat next to Finn.

I watched as Finn whispered something in Rachel's ear and took her hand. Despite her kind of crazy and weird first impression, if Finn saw something in her, Rachel must have been a good person.

But, I had other issues to deal with, like this whole 'auditioning' business. Part of me wanted to leave, go back to Finn and Kurt's house and go to bed, because I was so confused on everything. I only came because Rory nearly begged me. Would they actually let me join?

We won't know until we reached for it, I guessed.

I looked at Mr. Schuester. "Um, I would like to audition." I said to him and smiled.

The other students started cheering, including Kurt, Finn, and Rory, who went to an empty plastic chair by Finn. He gave me two thumbs up and smiled. At least I had people there who would support me (even a guy I've known for ten minutes.)

Mr. Schuester smiled too, "Great, Cleo. Just tell Brad and our band what song you want to sing, and then the floor belongs to you." He said to me and motioned towards the man at the piano. He had glasses and reddish brown hair.

I nodded to show that I understood. Mr. Schuester walked towards the glee club and pulled up a chair for himself.

"So, do you know Jordin Sparks?" I asked Brad quietly. "One Step at a Time?" That was the song that I knew by heart, and I listened to it at least fifty times during my flight. I guess you could call it my theme song.

Brad nodded, and we both looked at the band, who nodded too. Good. The song was pretty popular, but I just wanted to make sure.

I turned around and saw everyone watching me again. I cleared my throat, "Um, this is a song that inspires me and is kind of my philosophy on life." I told them simply, then did a small countdown for Brad and the band.

I began singing right when the music started:

"_Dadada dada dadada dadadada dadada dada dadada dadadada_

_Hurry up and wait_

_So close, but so far away_  
_Everything that you've always dreamed of_  
_Close enough for you to taste_  
_But you just can't touch_"

I already saw people smiling at my singing. I continued as if it was nothing.

"_You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet_  
_Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it_  
_You know you can if you get the chance_  
_In your face as the door keeps slamming_  
_Now you're feeling more and more frustrated_  
_And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting_

_We live and we learn to take_  
_One step at a time_  
_There's no need to rush_  
_It's like learning to fly_  
_Or falling in love_  
_It's gonna happen when it's_  
_Supposed to happen and we_  
_Find the reasons why_  
_One step at a time_

_Dadada dada dadada dadadada dadada dada dadada dadadada_

_You believe and you doubt_  
_You're confused, you got it all figured out_  
_Everything that you always wished for_  
_Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours_  
_If they only knew_

_You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet_  
_Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it_  
_You know you can if you get the chance_  
_In your face as the door keeps slamming_  
_Now you're feeling more and more frustrated_  
_And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting_

_We live and we learn to take_  
_One step at a time_  
_There's no need to rush_  
_It's like learning to fly_  
_Or falling in love_  
_It's gonna happen when it's_  
_Supposed to happen and we_  
_Find the reasons why_  
_One step at a time_

_When you can't wait any longer_  
_But there's no end in sight_  
_when you need to find the strength_  
_It's your faith that makes you stronger_  
_The only way you get there_  
_Is one step at a time_"

When I hit the high note/falsetto on 'time,' I felt proud, but it made me remember how long it's been since I've seriously sung. I finished the song, doing small riffs and hitting higher notes to show my range:

_We live and we learn to take_  
_One step at a time_  
_There's no need to rush_  
_It's like learning to fly_  
_Or falling in love_  
_It's gonna happen when it's_  
_Supposed to happen and we_  
_Find the reasons why_  
_One step at a time_

_One step at a time_  
_There's no need to rush_  
_It's like learning to fly_  
_Or falling in love_  
_It's gonna happen when it's_  
_Supposed to happen and we_  
_Find the reasons why_  
_One step at a time_"

The music stopped, as did my singing. I was rewarded with applause from everyone, even Rachel. Finn, Kurt, Rory, and that black girl gave me a standing ovation. Mr. Schuester joined them, and he walked over and stood next to me.

"Cleo that was incredible!" he beamed, putting his arm around me, "You shouldn't have doubted yourself. That was truly amazing." He looked at the others, "Don't you all agree?"

There was another chorus of agreement. Finn was smiling at me the entire team, practically a proud papa. That sight made me smile.

I breathed. The rush of performed surged through my body. It had been over a year since I sang in front of an audience; that audition made me realize and remember why I loved singing so much.

"Does that mean I'm in?" I asked shyly, looking at Mr. Schuester.

His brows went straight up, "Absolutely!" he nearly cried. "Guys, New Directions has found themselves their newest member!"


	7. Chapter 07

**Hey y'all! Sorry this took a little longer than I wanted; I was pretty busy this week, and I think it's only going to get worse. Haha. Anyway, thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

**Songs Performed:**

_**Take My Hand (Remix) – The Cab and Cassadee Pope**_

Chapter Seven: Reacting to Change

Three Days Later

Finn

I was having mixed feelings, mostly about Cleo joining glee club. Of course I was happy, because Cleo's audition was incredible, and we could use as much talent as we could for Regionals and possibly Nationals, but I was wary about her being there. Maybe it was because Rachel has been ignoring me since I told her the details about Cleo and our living arrangement, or is that not a good enough reason?

"Babe, you have to talk to me at some point." I finally said, because she gripped my hand tightly to the point it was going numb. It was painful; plus it was super awkward to walk hand and hand with someone who refused to speak.

Rachel didn't respond, but she let go of my hand and started walking faster. What did I do?

I sighed loudly, hoping that got her attention, but it didn't. Rachel stomped to her locker and did her combination.

"Rachel," I started, but she shuffled through her locker's contents and didn't listen. "Rachel." I said much louder, finally getting her attention. "What's wrong, babe? Did I do anything?" I asked, stepping closer, "I'm sorry if I did." Apologizing normally helped my case.

"It's not you; it's that, that new girl." Rachel said as she pulled out a notebook, "I don't know what to think of her."

I furrowed my brows, "Cleo?" I smirked, "She's harmless. Please tell me you're not threatened by her voice."

"Oh of course not," Rachel replied, turning her beautiful dark eyes on me, "I mean, she's obviously talented, but I'm not worried about that." She took in a breath, "I'm worried about your relationship with her."

"What?" I blurted.

Rachel closed her locker and continued, "I mean, you two are so _close_, so I obviously worry." We both started walking as she thought of what to say next, "It doesn't take much to see how amazing you are, so I would hate if she got the wrong idea and…"

"You think that Cleo might have a thing for me?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows. I stopped walking and grabbed Rachel's arm, "Look, Rachel, I know Cleo and I are extremely close, and that she kind of sprung up on you before I could explain, but I am telling you right now that I would never do anything to ruin what we have." I leaned in closer, "I love you too much to try and risk it with a girl that I can't even see myself with. Cleo's too good of a friend; she's basically my little sister."

Rachel averted her eye contact, "I feel ridiculous now. I knew that there was nothing, but you're too important to me." Her eyes came back up, "I'm sorry for even considering it. I love you, Finn."

I smiled, and leaned in and kissed her, "I love you, Rachel, and it's okay. Let's just relish in the fact New Directions has a new, talented member."

She smiled back at me, "Okay." We kissed again before walking to glee.

Cleo

"I can't believe what has happened in, like, the past week." I laughed. I looked over at Rory, whose hands were stuck in his pockets. "You managed to pull me into complete craziness after knowing me for ten minutes. How am I so easily persuaded?"

Rory laughed, "I say it's the accent."

We both laughed as I nodded in agreement. I actually really liked McKinley. I already had friends by my side, my teachers liked me, plus most of the students were nice. A lot of them ignored me, but they haven't got out of their way to be mean to me. I just waited for the day I'd eat those words and get mauled by bullies, or I would run into that Rick kid again.

Plus, Rory was really sweet to me. We had some classes together and talking to him seemed so simple. He was trying to make sure I felt accepted, because he was the newest new kid before I showed up, so we both understood what it's like to feel like the fish out of water.

And, he was really, really cute.

Wait, what? I shouldn't have thought that! I was still kinda getting over my breakup with Trevor (even though the boy didn't understand that we were no longer together); I didn't want to like someone. I didn't have time to like someone. I only knew Rory for a few days, so even thinking I liked him was crazy. It was pure crazy, so I needed to stop. But was it that simple?

"Hey," Rory said, "You've been kind of quiet, Cleo." Uh, his accent was so cute. Gah!

I shrugged, "Eh, I'm just thinking. Still trying to wrap my head around this place." I grinned at Rory and tucked my hair behind my ears.

He nodded, "Yeah, it can be a lot to take in. I still have troubles." He commented, "People still think I'm from Mexico."

"Are they missing a brain?" I asked, raising in an eyebrow, "Because saying you're from Mexico is like saying I'm Queen Latifah."

We both started laughing as Rory opened the door to the glee room. I walked inside and found a plastic chair next to the black girl, who was named Mercedes. I liked her. She was nice but sassy at the same time. She could also belt out Whitney like it was nobody's business.

Rachel and Finn were there too, sitting behind Rory and I. Finn smiled and waved at us; Rachel shot me a perplexed look but still smiled. Maybe Finn talked to her and she was giving me another chance, even though I technically didn't do anything to mess up my first chance.

Everyone else in the club; Kurt, Blaine (Kurt's boyfriend), Mike, Tina, Artie, Brittany, Santana, Sam, Quinn, Puck, Sugar; filed in in a period of ten minutes. Kurt gave me the run-down of all the couples: he and Blaine, Finn and Rachel (obviously), Mike and Tina, Brittany and Santana, and apparently Sam and Mercedes. The only single ones were Artie, Quinn, Puck, Rory, Sugar, and I.

Mr. Schuester, or Mr. Schue, walked in the room while everyone got settled in a seat. He had his bag over his shoulder and a dark navy binder.

"Hey guys!" greeted Mr. Schue, "I have a great idea for this week."

"Barbra Streisand?" Rachel blurted excitedly.

Everyone, including me, turned and stared at her.

"What? She's a legend!" Rachel huffed.

"Hey, maybe you should just let the man talk." Santana nearly snapped, but she must have been in a good mood because she didn't insult Rachel.

Mr. Schue interjected, "Okay, guys, settle down and listen up." We all turned back around and faced him, "We are doing duets!"

"Haven't we already done that?" Finn asked.

"Finn, we did that two years ago." Quinn answered.

"Look, I know some of us have sung ballads, but we have plenty of new members," I saw Mr. Schue's eyes flicker towards me, "So I think we should try it. Duets are our way of working with another performer. Working with other performers is a great way to get prepared to work as a team." He explained. "I think we should have an example." His eyes scanned the room, until finally, "Finn and Cleo."

What?

I felt everyone staring at me, and I couldn't help but ask, "Me?" I shook my head, "Are you sure? Maybe someone more experienced with a better connection with Finn could do it, like Rachel!" If I offered my part to her, maybe she'd like me better. The last thing Rachel wanted to see was me singing with her boyfriend.

Mr. Schue shook his head, "I want you guys to go outside your comfort zones with this assignment. I want you two to pick a song that shows your feelings for each other, then sing it. Just pick something; I think you can do it." He grinned at me. I guess he had a lot of faith in me.

Finn spoke, "I have a great song." He stepped down from his seat, "It does kind of explain our relationship," he added, smiling as he stood next to me, "Plus I know you know this song; you were listening to it last night."

I furrowed my brows, trying to think of what I listened to last night. I couldn't remember, but it was probably because I was distracted by my math homework. I nodded, "Okay, I trust you." I smiled back.

Finn nodded and whispered something to the band. The music started and I recognized the song right away. Finn and I started singing together:

"_Take my hand and we'll run away_

_Down to this place that I know_

_How did this night become the enemy?_

_It's over it's over it's over_"

Finn took over:

"_C-c-c-calm your nerves now_

_And don't worry_"

Me: "_Just breathe_"

Finn took my hand and twirled me around while he continued singing.

"_Are you sure now_

_Don't bother packing, let's just leave_

_(All of them said) they wanna change_

_I hope that you remain the same_

_To show that this is not a game_

_Let's end this tragedy today"_

I took over for the chorus, smiling as I faced Finn and stuck out my hand:

"_Now take my hand and we'll run away_

_Down to this place that I know (place that I know) _

_How did this night become the enemy?_

_It's over, it's over, it's over_"

During the guitar riff between verses, Finn grabbed my hand and we smiled at each other as I laughed. Finn started the second verse, let go of my hand, and pointed at me.

"_Lay down with me_

_And let me hold you, baby, just breathe_

_This is ending_

_And we will get through eventually_

_(All of them) say they wanna change_

_I hope that you remain the same_

_To show that this is not a game_

_Let's end this (Both of us:) tragedy today_"

It was my turn again. Everyone seemed to be getting in the performance, except Rachel:

"_Now take my hand and we'll run away_

_Down to this place that I know (place that I know)_

_How did this night become the enemy?_

_It's over, it's over, it's over_

_Now take my hand and we will run away  
Down to this place that I know (place that I know)  
How did this night become the enemy  
It's over, it's over, it's over"_

Everyone was on their feet, and Finn and I started pulling them in the performance as we continued:

"_It's over_  
_It's over, it's over, it's over_

_Take my hand and we will run away_  
_Down to this place that I know (it's over)_  
_How did this night become the enemy_  
_It's over, it's over, it's over_

_Take my hand and we will run away_  
_Down to this place that I know_  
_How did this night become the enemy_  
_It's over, it's over, it's over now_

_Now take my hand and we will run away  
Down to this place that I know (place that I know)  
How did this night become the enemy  
It's over, it's over, it's over now_

_Now take my hand and we will run away_  
_Down to this place that I know (place that I know)_  
_How did this night become the enemy_  
_It's over, it's over, it's over now_"

Finn and I made direct eye contact as everyone stopped dancing. We were completely still as we sang the last four lines.

"_(We) we won't be a part of_  
_(Won't) we won't be a part of this_  
_(We) we won't be a part of_  
_(Won't) we won't, we won't_

"

The music ended and everyone applauded us, but neither one of us paid attention. Finn and I were too busy staring at each other. I examined his face, his eyes, and that half-smirk. I found myself smiling back. A rush of feelings surged in my body, but I had no idea what to think of them. My face went hot and I averted the eye contact.

"Guys, that was amazing!" Mr. Schue said, "Another solid performance, Cleo!"

I smiled and looked at the glee sponsor, "Thanks, Mr. Schue." I felt someone's arm around my shoulder. I glanced over and saw it was Rory. He wasn't looking at me though; he looking at Finn. His eyes were an intense shade of blue. Why did he have his arm around me? Why was he looking at Finn like that?

"Rory?" I said quietly, and he turned and looked at me. His eyes were back to his normal bright blue, "Did you not like it?"

Rory chuckled, "Oh, of course not, I loved it! You were great." He smiled at me and then hugged me.

I hugged back, wondering what that troubling, angry look in his eye meant.


	8. Chapter 08

**Hey guys! I'm trying to update as fast as I can because I leave for vacation in a couple days. I might bring my laptop with me, but I'm not sure yet. So, here's chapter eight, there will be more POV's and some drama! Sorry but it's kinda long. I'm also sorry if I have any typos, because I'm finding a lot of those lately. Hey, I'm not perfect, but I'll try and be extra careful! Thank you reading and I accept any and all reviews!**

**Songs in this chapter: **

_**California King Bed **_**– Rihanna**__

_**I Don't Wanna Be In Love **_**– Good Charlotte**__

Chapter Eight: Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore

Rory

Ah man, I was sure I had some sort of feelings for Cleo. She, for one, was extremely nice. The girl didn't even know me, but she saved me from getting my ass kicked by the hockey team. Then, she was an amazing singer. I was glad that I persuaded her to join glee club. Finally, she was one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen. Sure that was kind of a cliché, and the other girls in glee were pretty, but something about Cleo just, I dunno, stuck out to me in a way that the others didn't.

When she and Finn did that duet, they sounded incredible, but I paid attention to the minor details. The way Finn took her hand easily and twirled her around, the way Finn looked at her, the way Finn smiled at her. It was obvious he thought more of Cleo than just friends, which would cause a lot of problems. Rachel would murder him, and I honestly thought that I would too. But that wasn't fair. Finn Hudson was my first true male friend at McKinley; he'd got me to join glee club and introduced me to some of the nicest people ever, so I shouldn't be mad at him. He had done so much for me.

I still didn't like how he was looking at Cleo, though. It made me worry. I worried about what Finn would do. I worried about Cleo's feelings towards both Finn and I. I also worried about what Rachel would do either Finn, Cleo, or both of them. I had a feeling she was gonna go diva on them.

At the moment, I was walking by myself, but I felt a strong grip grab on to my backpack, and I was dragged into an empty classroom. The door was shut before I could figure out what happened.

"Sit." A familiar female voice commanded. I whirled around and saw Rachel standing in front of me with her arms crossed. "Now."

"Yes ma'am," I sat down in the nearest chair, staring at Rachel with wide eyes. "_You_ managed to drag me in here?" Rachel was at least six inches shorter than me and not the toughest girl out there. That actually said something about me. I felt a little embarrassed; I hoped no one saw her pull me in.

Rachel fixed her hair and straightened her red skirt. Her dark eyes bore through me, and I thought she was going to kill me. "I need your help." She said, getting straight to the point.

"Me?"

"Yes." Rachel nodded, "I need _you_ to be _my_ duet partner."

I raised my eyebrows, "Excuse me?"

"Look, when you sing, you're magical," Rachel started, smiling at me and sitting in a chair across from me. "Our voices can really mesh well together, if we find the right song."

I smiled at her compliment; it felt good to know that the most talented, soon-to-be-on-Broadway girl in glee club thought that I was good at singing too. But, why did she want to work with me? There had to be something else. "Are you sure this isn't about Finn and Cleo's duet?"

Rachel laughed nervously, "Why of course not. . ." she faltered when I gave a look that read 'I'm not buying that crap,' "Okay fine, yes. Look, Finn means so much to me, and I really want to like Cleo, I really do, but she and Finn are just so close. It kind of bothers me, and I know it bothers you too."

"What the hell gives you that idea?" I demanded defensively.

"Oh please, you follow Cleo around like you're her body guard or something!" Rachel shot back, "It's sweet, but obvious."

I looked away. Damn her for being right.

"This is why we have to work together." Rachel said gently, "We need to show them that we matter, that if we feel threatened, we'll retaliate." I looked back up and saw the flame of determination in her eyes.

I sighed, leaning back in the chair. I had no other option. Rachel was right; I didn't like how close Finn and Cleo were, and I wanted Cleo to know that I was important. Maybe this duet would get her attention.

"I'll do it." I finally replied, and Rachel started clapping her hands, "And I think I know the perfect song." This time I grinned at her.

"Yay! Meet me after school in the choir room!" Rachel said to me before collecting her things and exiting the classroom.

I stood in the classroom for another moment and sighed to myself. Rachel and I were about to play with fire; I had a good feeling both of us would get burned.

Four Days Later

Cleo

It was officially Friday, and I was about to end my second week at McKinley. This was, like, a milestone! I was in a pretty good mood, for the most part, as I walked myself to glee club. I looked for Rory, but my Irish friend was nowhere to be found. After math, he disappeared with any excuse, but I didn't think much about it.

I walked inside the choir room and saw Rory already there, saving me a seat. His large grin and his relaxed posture made me smile as I joined him.

"So, what made you run like a mad man out of math earlier?" I questioned as I sat down.

"You'll see." replied Rory. His grin grew, and I swore I saw him glance over at Rachel. What the hell?

I gave him a confused look, but shrugged and looked at Mr. Schue as he walked inside. Everyone turned around in their chairs and faced the beloved man we called our teacher.

With a smile, Mr. Schue asked, "Does anyone have a duet they'd like to perform?" he waved his hands around the room, waiting for volunteers.

Rachel looked eager to raise her hand, but Kurt and Blaine beat her to the punch. "If we may." Kurt said as he and Blaine walked to the front of the group. The two boys smiled at each other.

Mr. Schue grinned, "Of course, boys! Take it away." He stepped back towards a chair.

Kurt and Blaine smiled at Mr. Schue, and then Blaine walked over to the band to tell them the song choice. When he rejoined Kurt, they gave the signal and the smooth, gentle sounds of a guitar started. The song was pretty recognizable, and I smiled as Kurt started singing:

"_Chest to chest  
Nose to nose  
Palm to palm  
We were always just that close_

_Wrist to wrist  
Toe to toe  
Lips that felt just like the inside of a rose"_

Blaine faced Kurt as he took over:  
"_So, how come when I reach out my finger  
It feels like more than distance between us_"

Both Blaine and Kurt sang the chorus, and I saw the glee girls swaying to the song:  
"_In this California king bed  
We're ten thousand miles apart  
I've been California wishing on these stars  
For your heart for me  
My California king"_

The girls clung to their significant others as Blaine started the next verse:  
"_Eye to eye  
Cheek to cheek  
Side by side  
You were sleeping next to me  
Arm in arm  
Dusk to dawn  
With the __curtains__ drawn  
And a little last night on these sheets"_

I saw Rory looking at me, so I gave him an awkward smile as Kurt sang:  
"_So, how come when I reach out my fingers  
It seems like more than distance between us_"

Both boys sang together:  
"_In this California king bed  
We're ten thousand miles apart  
I've been California wishing on these stars  
For your heart for me  
My California king_"

For the next verse, they sang a line and switched off, starting off with Kurt:  
K: _"Just when I felt like giving up on us"_  
B: _"You turned around and gave me one last touch"_  
K: _"That made everything feel better"_  
B: _"And even then my eyes got wetter"_  
K: _"So confused wanna ask you if you love me"_  
B: _"But I don't wanna seem so weak"_

They sang the last line, and the rest of the song, together:  
_"Maybe I've been California dreaming_

Yeah yeah yeah

In this California king bed  
We're ten thousand miles apart  
I've been California wishing on these stars  
For your heart for me  
My California king  
My California king

In this _California king__ bed  
We're ten thousand miles apart  
I've been California wishing on these stars  
For your heart for me  
My California king"_

The music stopped and everyone, including me, started applauding. I gave them a standing ovation, as did Mercedes, Finn, Sam, Rachel, and Brittany. The two boys looked estatic, smiling and hugging each other. Everyone in the room went 'awww' when Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek before they walked back to their seat.

Mr. Schue, still clapping and smiling, walked to the front, "Wow, great job, guys!" His eyes scanned the room, "Anyone wanna try and top that?"

Rachel bolted up, not wanting her slot to be taken again. "Mr. Schue, I would love to!" she said happily as she walked to the front of the room. She looked over in my direction and made a motioning movement with her hand.

I pointed to myself, titling my head in confusion, but Rory was the one to stand up and join Rachel.

Huh? I looked around the room, and everybody except for Rory and Rachel looked absolutely dumbfounded, especially Finn. Everyone glanced at each other, whispering to one another.

"Hey," I glanced over and saw Finn looking at me, "Did you have any idea?" he asked, jerking his head towards the two.

I shook my head. Finn creased his brows and looked deep in thought.

"Well, this is an interesting duo." Mr. Schuester, who looked as confused as the rest of us, commented.

Rachel smiled at Rory before looking at our teacher, "Mr. Schue, you did say to step out of our comfort zones, and by taking your advice, I discovered that working with Rory on a more personal level is delightful."

I looked at Rory, giving him a confused look, but all he did was smile and nod at me. That just confused me even more.

Rachel had told the band their song and stood back next to Rory. She gave the signal and an upbeat guitar rhythm started. The two of them started dancing and moving with the beat as Rachel started the song:

"_She's going out to forget they were together  
All that time he was taking her for granted  
She wants to see if there's more  
Than he gave she's looking for"_

Rory took over, dancing and making a phone with his hands and putting it up to his ear:  
"_He calls her up  
He's trippin on __the phone__ now  
He doesn't want her out there  
And alone now  
He knows she's movin it  
Knows she's using it  
Now he's losing it  
She don't care_"  
I was taken aback; that was the first time I ever heard Rory sing. He was amazing!

Anyway, he and Rachel started singing together and jumping up and down to the beat:  
"_Everybody put up your hands  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feel the beat now  
If you've got nothing left  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Back it up now  
You've got a reason to live  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feelin' good now  
Don't be afraid to get down  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love_"

Rory went back to being the only one singing, standing center stage and moving his head to the beat:  
"_He was always giving her attention  
Looking hard to find the things she mentioned  
He was dedicated  
But most suckers hate it  
That girl was fine  
But she didn't appreciate him_"

Rachel walked in front of Rory, putting the hand phone to her ear:  
"_She calls him up  
She's tripping __on the phone__ now  
He had to get up  
And he ain't comin home now  
He's tryin to forget her  
That's how we come with him  
When he first met her  
When they first got together"_

As Rory and Rachel started the chorus, the glee club started getting in the performance a little: "_Everybody put up your hands  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feel the beat now_

If you got nothing left  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Back it up now  
You got a reason to live  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feelin' good now  
Don't be afraid to get down  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love

_To the beat (x3)  
You got nothing to lose  
Don't be afraid to get down"_

Rachel took over again, looking over at Finn: "_We __break up__  
It's something that we do now  
Everyone has got to do it sometime  
It's okay, let it go  
Get out there and find someone"_

Rory looked at Rachel, to Finn, to me while he sang: "_It's too late to be trippin' on the phone here  
Get off the wire  
You know everything is good here  
Stop what you're doin'  
You don't wanna ruin  
The chance that you got to  
Find a new one_"

I just sat there, flabbergasted but impressed while Rory and Rachel finished the song: _"Everybody put up your hands  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feel the beat now  
If you got nothing left  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Back it up now  
You got a reason to live  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love  
Feelin' good now  
Don't be afraid to get down  
Say I don't wanna be in love  
I don't wanna be in love_

Now you know what to do, so come on feelin' good"

Once again, the music stopped and we applauded Rachel and Rory. We were all still really confused, but they did really well. Rachel was extremely talented (I knew that already), but Rory's abilities were a pleasant surprise.

Rory and Rachel smiled and each other and did a sort of friend hug where Rory wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave them a quick squeeze.

Mr. Schue walked up to the two of the, nodding his head and looking surprised but entertained. "That was a wonderful surprise, you guys." He smiled at Rory and Rachel.

I heard the shuffling of feet moving and someone standing. I looked over and saw Finn was standing. He was sporting a confused and slightly angry. Everyone seemed to notice, because all eyes were on Finn. Finn knew that everyone was watching him, but the only person that he looked at was Rachel.

"F-Finn?" I finally stammered, and he turned his gaze on me. "You okay?"

He didn't answer at first, and he looked at the ground. After a moment of dead silence, Finn replied, "I think I have a headache. I just need a drink, maybe some air." With that, he started towards the exit.

Rachel tried to follow him, but Finn added, "Alone." Before walking out of the glee room.


	9. Chapter 09

**Here we go again! Let the drama start to unfold! Mwahahaha. I leave for vacation tomorrow, but I am bringing my laptop, so yay! Also, I have decided to write a second Glee Fanfic! I don't know when I'll start posting it, but I already have character ideas and a plot. It's basically the next generation of New Directions. Hope you guys read it once I get it posted! I also love all of you for reading this! **

Chapter Nine:

Finn

When Rory and Rachel finished their duet, I honestly wanted to punch Rory in the face. That wasn't fair, though, because I was more upset with Rachel than anything. It was just habit to take my anger out on the guy. Plus, Rory really didn't do anything wrong. I was really pissed at Rachel, though. Why would she do a duet with another guy and sing a song about not wanting to be in love? Was she trying to tell me something?

I walked out of the choir room, got a quick drink from the water fountain, and sat on the floor. As much as I wanted to punch the lockers next to me, I just sat there. I sighed and leaned my head back against them.

After sitting in silence for not even five minutes, I heard footsteps echoing through the hallway. They came from the choir room. Someone came after me, even though I said I wanted to be alone.

I looked up and saw Kurt walk towards me.

I grinned at him, "You and Blaine sounded amazing." I immediately said.

Kurt smiled, "Thank you, but that's not what I came to talk about." He sat down next to me, "You're upset that Rachel did a duet with Rory." Man, he caught on quick, "Don't try to deny, either. Everyone could tell."

"I made it obvious by storming out didn't I?" I sighed as Kurt nodded. "That was the only thing I could do to stop me from yelling, or hitting Rory." I looked at him, "I don't want to mad at Rory, though. He really didn't do anything; Rachel just managed to pull him in."

"Pull him in what, exactly?" questioned Kurt.

"In Rachel's crazy jealousy!" I responded agitatedly. I stood up and ran my hands through my hair, "She's mad because I did that duet with Cleo. She's mad that Cleo and I are such good friends." I continued, the words coming out of my mouth without thought. "She only did this duet to get back at me, and maybe make Cleo feel uncomfortable. I just don't understand why she picked Rory."

Kurt looked up at me and shrugged, "Maybe it's because Rory has a _huge_ crush on Cleo." He stated bluntly.

"What?"

"You don't see it?" Kurt chuckled, stood up and gave me a serious look, "Finn, while you're off in lala land having throwbacks to your childhood, you're missing the signs. Cleo and Rory spend every second together, he walks her to every class she has, he voluntarily holds her books! You still haven't noticed that Cleo's all grown up, didn't I warn you that would cause problems?"

"I mean, I don't know what else to do! I know that she's not a kid anymore, but it's been _six years_ since I've seen Cleo. That's a really long time. I look at her, and I know she's sixteen, but little ten year old Cleo just appears in my mind, and all these memories come back." I told Kurt, looking him dead in the eye. "Then, when the memories come back, these feelings appear, too, and I have no idea what they mean, but I'm afraid that they—" I stopped myself, not wanting to say the words.

"You're afraid that they're feelings for Cleo." Kurt stated, taking the words from my mouth, "You're afraid that you're in love with her."

My lips parted, but no words came out. Just hearing what Kurt said made my stomach turn in knots. I wanted to deny it, but Kurt was right.

"I don't know what to do." I repeated quietly.

Kurt stepped closer, put a hand on my shoulder, and gave it a sympathetic pat, "It's okay, we'll figure it out." He said.

I nodded, and sighed quietly.

* * *

Cleo

When Finn left the choir room, it was only a couple moments before Kurt had gone after him. The rest of us were in the middle of a very awkward silence.

Santana broke that silence, "Way to go, Yentl," she said, narrowing her eyes at Rachel, "You and Ireland managed to upset Finn." Her voice was hard, but she was right. Finn seemed really upset.

Rachel was speechless, and her eyes darted to everyone, even me. But, Rachel glared at me. It was a quick narrowing of her eyes, then she looked away. It was official; she hated my guts.

I looked over at Rory, who looked guilty about something. He averted eye contact and looked at his feet.

"Well, aren't you going to talk to him?" Quinn asked, looking at Rachel, "You owe him that much."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at everyone, "This doesn't concern any of you."

"Actually, it does." Mercedes interjected, "Because any and all of you and Finn's drama affect this group. You guys are the captains, so the last thing you need to be doing is fighting because of a glee assignment."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Mercedes, including myself and Mr. Schue.

"Look guys, this is end of Duet Week; hopefully we can get passed this and move in the right direction." Mr. Schue said, taking his place back in front. "I want everyone to resolve any issues they may have. We have more important things to worry about, like Regionals. I want you guys to have a good weekend, and come back on Monday with cleared, focused minds."

With that statement, Mr. Schue dismissed us. I grabbed my things and started for the door.

"Cleo, wait up!" I turned around and allowed Rory to catch up. He took in a deep breath, "So, whatcha think?" He obviously meant the performance, and he seemed eager to have approval from at least one person.

I shrugged and grinned at him, "I liked it, but that's because I appreciate a nice pop punk song." I replied, "I will admit, you and Rachel made an _interesting _duo." I didn't want to give away that I was a little annoyed. Rory knew that I wasn't Rachel's favorite person, but he decided to go work with her. I thought he was my friend?

Rory's blue eyes darkened, "I'm sorry." He blurted after mostly everyone was out of the glee room.

I raised an eyebrow, "For?"

"The duet. I didn't plan on working with Rachel, but she was really jealous of you and Finn. So, she got me to work with her to show Finn that if 'she feels threatened, then she'd retaliate.'" Rory admitted, scratching the back of his head. His eyes went to the floor, as if he was the guilty one.

"Oh," I said at first, comprehending everything he said. That explained why Rachel did a duet with someone other than Finn, "But why are you apologizing? You didn't really do anything wrong."

Rory sighed, "I let Rachel get to me." He explained, "She told me how talented she thought I was, then played on my-" he stopped mid-sentence and his eyes widened, as if he was about to tell me something he didn't want to say.

I stopped walking, standing in front of him. "She played on your what?" I demanded. Rory didn't answer at first, so I added, "Rory."

He muttered something inaudible, but eventually Rory stated, "My jealousy."

Jealousy? What the hell did he have to be jealous about? "What do you mean?" I sounded really stupid, but that was the only real sentence I could form.

"You can't tell?" Rory asked sighing again and ruffling his hair. "Cleo, I really like you. I have for like a week. When you and Finn did that duet, I got kinda jealousy. I mean, I didn't want to do a duet just to spite you, but I helped Rachel because I wanted you to notice me." His blue eyes were locked on me while he said this, and I saw his cheeks get redder and redder as he spoke.

Time seemed to have frozen after Rory spoke. I was really confused, but flattered. Rory and I stared at each other for a moment, and my face was getting hot.

"Say something, please." Rory pleaded.

I sucked in a breath, "Rory, I think you're a really sweet guy," I started, trying to find the right words to say, "But, I just went through a big breakup a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure if I'm ready to start seeing people again." I refused to comment on my fledging feelings for Finn, because that would just make everything worse.

Rory's face dropped, and he looked at the floor again. "Ah, I see," he stated, "I understand."

"Rory, please don't be upset." I said as he started to walk away, "I just need time."

"So, this isn't an official no?" Rory asked.

I smiled, "Let's just say instead of completely hanging up, I'm just putting you on hold." I winked at him.

His face lightened up and he grinned back at me, "Good, because I refuse to give up!" He gave me a quick hug before jogging out of the choir room.

I sighed, wondering what I was gonna do about that boy. I headed towards the other door, and I saw two people standing outside it. Finn and Kurt.

"Hey, Cleo." Finn said softly, smiling at me. "What'd Rory want?"

I smiled back, thinking to myself about Rory's confession, "Oh, it was nothing."

Finn nodded, looking at Kurt and I, "Let's head home you guys."

Kurt and I looked at each other, smiling. We looked back at Finn, and I said, "Lead the way, Hudson."

As the three of us walked out of the choir room, a lot of things were on my mind. Rory's confession, Finn's strange behavior, and Rachel's crazy glare. I just hoped everyone took the weekend to clear their minds, like Mr. Schue recommended, but deep down, I had a bad feeling that everyone's minds would remain clouded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! We're all the way to chapter ten! Wooo! Please rate and review! Sorry that this is pretty short, at least compared to the other chapters.**

Chapter Ten:

Cleo

I was so happy that it was the weekend. Two days away from school, and Rachel. At least, that's what I thought until I heard the doorbell ring a few hours after Finn, Kurt, and I got home.

"Hey, Cleo, can you answer that!" Finn called from the other room.

Without replying, I walked down stairs straight to the door, opening it to find Rachel standing outside.

Her blinking expression turned to a glare quickly. "Oh, it's you." She said coldly, "I'm here to see Finn."

"Okay, come in I guess," I said, stepping back to let her inside. She breezed past me silently.

"Where is he?" demanded Rachel.

"Pretty sure he's in the bathroom upstairs." I said, shrugging my shoulders. It grew silent for a moment, but finally I said, "I don't understand what your problem is, well I kinda do, and I would apologize if I did anything wrong, but I did nothing wrong, so I'm not going to."

Rachel looked at me, but instead of glaring, she just looked sad. "I want to like you, Cleo," she replied, "I honestly do, because you're nice and really talented, but I just got worried…okay, I got jealous." She sighed, "I got jealous."

"Of me?" I asked, placing a hand on my chest. I stepped closer to the older girl, "Look, Rachel, I know Finn and I are friends, but that's it. Friends. I'm not attracted to Finn like that, and I don't think I ever will." I explained, "Plus, he's crazy about you. I've only been in Lima for a couple weeks, but I can already tell. How could I compete with that?" I smiled at her, "Not like I wanted to, anyways."

"I should have known better, well I did, but my jealousy got the best of me," Rachel said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I overreacted, and that duet with Rory took threw things overboard. I came to apologize to Finn, but I realize I should apologize to you too." Her dark eyes met mine, "I'm really sorry, Cleo."

Wow. I never thought Rachel would actually apologize to me. It felt nice. I was happy to know that she wanted to like me, that she didn't hate me. I smiled.

"You're forgiven." I said, "I'm really happy that we had this talk. I was terrified that you hated me." I admitted.

Rachel smiled back, "I don't hate you Cleo." She said, "I'm going to hug you now." With that, she walked towards me and hugged me.

I chuckled, "You don't have to announce it next time." I replied as I hugged her back.

Finn

I walked downstairs to find Cleo and Rachel hugging. Either I was hallucinating, or I was asleep, and this dream was going to get really weird really quick.

"Um, Rachel? Cleo?" I started carefully, my eyebrows raised, "Is everything okay?"

Both girls turned to me, and they both had pleased expression on their faces. This seriously had to be a dream.

"Everything's fine, sweetie," Rachel said, "Cleo and I were just talking. Now, I want to talk to you." Her chocolate brown eyes looked warm and happy as she looked up at me. "I want to talk to you, if you're willing to talk to me." She batted her eyelashes at me. God, the woman knew what to do to persuade me.

I sighed, but managed a smile, "Okay, um, Cleo..." I started, but was stopped by Cleo putting her hand up.

"I understand, I'll be in my room." She smiled at both Rachel and I as she walked past us.

I waited until Cleo disappeared down the hallway before I turned back to Rachel. As much as I wanted to be angry at her, when I looked at Rachel, all I felt was love. This girl drove me crazy, but no matter what I still loved her.

"I'm sorry." Rachel and I said in unison.

"Uh, y-you first." I added quickly. My hand went to my head and I ruffled my hair.

Rachel blinked and sighed, "Finn, I know we've discussed this before, but I got really jealous of Cleo. I shouldn't have done that duet with Rory; well I shouldn't have done it out of spite. But, I went crazy because of the duet you and Cleo did. I was jealous, because it honestly was a fantastic performance, but I more jealous of the fact you two had such a connection. I just lost my mind." Her eyes went to the floor, "I hope you can forgive me."

I pressed my lips together, thinking about how to respond. "You know, I was really upset with you," I started, and her eyes quickly darted up at me, "I was hurt that you did that duet with Rory. Not because it was Rory, but because the song was about not being in love. It made me think you didn't want to be in love anymore, which drove me crazy." I sighed, "But I guess it's kinda my fault in a way. I drove you to that point, because I was blowing you off for Cleo. I'm sorry about that."

"Oh Finn," Rachel started, shaking her head, "I don't want you to ever think I don't want to be in love with you. Because I love you, and I always will."

I smiled, "I love you too." Then, I bent down to Rachel and kissed her.

**Yay! Everyone's kinda made up! Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! Thank you all for still reading! Please rate, review, and recommend, whatever! This is mostly a filler chapter to set up what's going to happen next, but I still hope you enjoy reading it.**

**Also, RIP Cory Monteith, our amazing, lovable, talented Finn Hudson. You were probably an amazing, lovable, talented person too (well you were,) we just didn't know you as a real person, just the actor. Still, you will be truly missed, and your family, friends, and Lea are in my prayers.**

Chapter Eleven:

Cleo

I was busily working on my math homework when I heard my laptop make a noise. Looking up at the screen, I saw that someone was requesting a Skype session. Assuming that it was Kennedy, Becca, Vince, or a combination of the three, I accepted without reading the Skype name.

"Hey, what's up?" I greeted mindlessly, looking at my math notebook rather than the computer screen.

"Hey chicky baby! I miss you!" Knowing that only one person called me 'chicky baby,' I glanced up at the screen and saw Trevor smiling at me.

I really needed to pay attention to who I accept a Skype request from.

"Trevor, what do you want?" I groaned, lifting up my notebook, "I'm kinda busy."

Trevor laughed, "I know you hate math homework, Cleo. Cut the crap." His dark eyes fixated on me, "I really miss you." He sounded so sweet and sincere, but I knew better than to buy it.

"And you're telling me to cut the crap?" I replied, looking him dead in the eye. "You only get sweet and cutesy when you want something, so what is it now?"

"I'm hurt," Trevor declared, bringing a hand to his chest. "Cleo, did you ever consider that I just wanted to talk to you? It's weird to know that you're not just a fifteen minute drive from my house. It's weird to know that when I see Kennedy, Becca, or Vince, you're not with them. It's weird to know that you're not here." He narrowed his eyes at me, as if he was angry, "I'm _so_ sorry that I miss you."

I blinked once, twice, three times while I processed his words. Did Trevor honestly miss me? I never really thought about that; lately, I just thought Trevor was a huge douche. He was, but maybe there was a chance for him to redeem himself. I kept pushing Trevor away because I thought he wanted to get back together with me. Now that I was in Lima, maybe we could be friends.

"I'm sorry, Trevor," I sighed, chewing on my lower lip, "I guess I have a lot on my plate. I'm still settling in McKinley, I joined the glee club, there's this guy…"

"A _guy_?" Trevor interrupted, his eyebrows shooting up, "What guy? Who?"

I gulped. Mentioning a guy to my ex was probably not my best idea. Then again, it really wasn't an idea, mentioning the guy was a complete accident. Might as well tell him the truth. "His name's Rory. He goes to McKinley and is in the glee club." I admitted, wondering what my Irish pal was up to.

Trevor looked away from the screen, a puzzled expression taking over his features. I could tell he was getting upset because his nostrils were flaring.

"Trevor?" I said softly, attempting to snap him back.

His eyes darted back to me, and he looked me up and down like I was some stranger. A quick breath escaped Trevor's lips as he turned back and faced me.

"I gotta go, Cleo," He said suddenly, "I-I have some things I need to take care of. More important things. I'm sorry." Before he gave me the chance to explain or even say goodbye, Trevor logged off Skype. My screen went blank, exiting out of Skype and revealing my laptop background of Kennedy, Becca, and I at Navy Pier.

I groaned loudly and slammed my laptop shut. Screw him! Right when I was about to give him a second chance, the chance to be my friend, he does this?

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted angrily, setting my elbows on my desk and putting my head in my hands.

My door opened quietly, and I looked up to see Finn's concerned face. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Um yeah." I started, nodding my head, but I quickly started to shake it, "Actually, no. Everything is the opposite of okay." I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

Finn stepped inside my room, closing the door behind him. Without speaking, he walked to my bed and sat down, looking at me with worried brown eyes. "Talk." He commanded. His head nodded at my laptop, "Who was that?"

"Trevor de Luca. M-my ex-boyfriend…" I stammered, looking away, "My annoying ex-boyfriend." I added with a scoff.

Finn shifted uncomfortable. "Ah," he said, "What's he like?"

"He's a complete douchebag!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at my laptop as if Trevor was actually standing there. "I can't stand him. He needs to learn to leave me alone, that things are over!" I continued, huffing.

Finn's eyebrows furrowed, "Did he do something to you?" he demanded.

I blinked, "What?"

"Did he do something to you? Like hurt you?" Finn stood, towering over me, "I'll kick his ass!"

"Finn! Finn!" I started, standing up and sticking my hands up, "Trevor did _not _physically hurt me or anything like that." I breathed again, "It's just, he tried taking things too far, trying to sleep with me, and I told him to knock it off one too many times and he stopped speaking to me, as if _I_ was the bad guy." I explained, "After a month of being with him without even speaking to him, I ended things. This all happened about a couple weeks before I moved here."

Finn blinked while he processed what I told him. Slowly, his face hardened, "He _is_ a douchebag." He agreed softly. Finn's angry expression softened when he looked back at me, "Cleo, you deserve a lot better than that. Just know that, okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I know. It's just hard to completely cut off communication with Trevor. He is right about the fact I miss him, but I think I just missed what we had." My eyes went to the floor as I shrugged my shoulders. "Besides, long distance isn't my thing." I joked, grinning at Finn.

Finn laughed softly, "Right." He added, "Look, if this guy gives you any more problems, please let me know."

"You don't need to deal with my boy problems," I retorted, trying to imagine a conversation between Finn and Trevor. "I can handle Trevor myself."

With a quick nod, Finn chirped, "Sure you can." He agreed with me, but didn't sound too confident. Finn shrugged, walking to the door, "I got homework to do, and my mom and Burt won't be home, so we can just order pizza or something." He looked back at me.

I smiled, "Pizza or something sounds amazing." I replied.

That statement brought a smile to his face, and I admitted to myself Finn looked so much better when he smiled. "Good," he said before walking out of my room, clicking the door behind him.

When I knew for sure he left, I stood from my desk and went to my own large suitcase I was too lazy to fully unpack. I rummaged through its contents until I found the leather bound sketchbook I'd had for years. The sketchbook served as more of my life on pages. It was part sketchbook, notebook, and scrapbook.

I opened the front cover to the inside folder. Carefully, I stuck my first and middle finger in the folder and pulled out a photograph. Well, it was more than a photo; it was my prized possession. The photo was one of the first of Finn and I. We were both extremely young; Finn was around three and I just turned one. It was a picture of Finn holding me. He had his arms around me as if I was a precious gem and while I looked at the camera and smiled, Finn's eyes were closed and he was kissing me on the cheek. Gah, it was my favorite photo ever. I would carry this around until it crumbled into dust (but don't worry, my mother and Finn's mother have plenty of copies of this picture.)

I clutched the photo and brought it to my chest while something clicked inside my mind. I was wrong about Trevor, about thinking he was my first love. My first love was Finn.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to update! So here's chapter twelve, things will start to be escalating! By the way, this chapter is pretty long. Sorry about that haha. Thank you for reading and sticking with the story! (: PLEASE REVIEW**

**Songs in this chapter – **

_**I Won't Say (I'm In Love) – Hercules**_

_**Kiss the Girl – The Little Mermaid**_

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

Cleo

"Okay guys, its Disney week!" announced Mr. Schue, sticking his arms out.

Everyone was sitting in the choir room, making small talk and having private conversations. I was talking to Kurt and Blaine, Rory sitting next to me. While comparing different types of conditioning treatments, I noticed the weird glances from Finn. Rachel was babbling about something, but Finn was absent-minded about what she was talking about. Every time I would look over, he was looking right at me. But, I completely forgot about that when Schue announced that it was Disney week, because I got really excited.

"Disney! Really, Mr. Schue?" I cried out, nearly jumping out of my chair. Everyone looked at me strangely; even Rory raised a brow. "What? Don't you guys love Disney?"

Quinn chuckled, "Well, of course. We just never expected that kind of outburst from you, Cleo." She admitted, starting a chorus of agreement from the others. I sat back and stuck my tongue at all of them.

Mr. Schue smirked, "But, we're glad to see the enthusiasm, Cleo." He added.

"Um, Mr. Schue," Rory stated meekly, "How exactly do we incorporate Disney into glee club?"

I looked over at him. "Is that even a question? Nearly _every_ Disney movie has musical numbers. Here, I'll show you." I winked at the Irish boy, got out of my seat, whispered a song into Brad's ear, then stood in front of everybody with a smile.

The music started, and I began singing the beginning of one of my favorite Disney songs:

_If there's a prize for rotten judgment_

_I guess, I've already won that_

_No man is worth the aggravation _

_That's ancient history, been there, done that_

Then, as if on cue, the rest of the glee girls stood up while Mercedes and Santana started singing the next part as the rest harmonized, each girl pointing a finger at me accusingly:

_Who you think you're kidding? _

_He's the Earth and heaven to you_

_Try to keep it hidden_

_Honey we can see right through you_

_Girl you can't conceal it_

_We know how you feel and who you're thinking of_

As they sing the last line, I noticed Mercedes and Santana sit next to Rory. I immediately blushed and sang the next two lines.

_No chance, no way_

_I won't say it no, no_

The girls were walking down from their seats and surrounded me in a way that I was still the center of attention. They were snapping their fingers with the beat when Tina and Quinn countered with:

_You swoon, you sigh_

_Why deny it uh oh?_

I rebutted with:

_It's too cliché,_

_I won't say I'm in love (The girls: Sha-doo, sha-doo, sha-doo-doo-doo)_

I sighed, finding myself looking at Rory, but looking away quickly. The girls harmonized and swayed when I sang the next part.

_I thought my heart had learned its lesson_

_It feels so good when you start out _

_My head is screaming get a grip, girl_

_Unless you're dying to cry your heart out, oh_

While I sang out 'oh' for a few extra counts, Rachel stepped next to me, leading the girls as she sang:

_You keep on denying_

_Who you are and how you're feeling_

_Baby, we're not buying,_

_Hon we saw you hit the ceiling (Me: Oh no)_

_Face it like a grown up, _

_When you gonna own up, _

_That you got, got, got it bad_

It was my turn again to sing the chorus. Man, I think they were trying to send me a message.

_No chance no way_

_I won't say it no, no_

This time, Brittany took over, singing:

_Give up, give in, _

_Check the grin you're in love _

I sang back to her:

_This scene won't play_

_I won't say I'm in love_

Santana stepped in front of me, taking my and spinning me around while singing:

_You're doing flips, _

_Read our lips you're in love_

I snatched my hand back, actually getting a little annoyed. I sang:

_You're way off base_

_I won't say it_

_Get off my case_

_I won't say I'm in love (love, love, love, love)_

All the girls sang in unison as the music started to slow down:

_Girl don't be proud_

_It's okay you're in love_

Before I sang the last lines of the song, all the girls had formed a pod, giving me a look as I stepped back, tripping over my feet and falling in my seat next to Rory. I only sang the last part so the song would finish. But, I did find myself leaning back.

_At least out loud,_

_I won't say I'm in love_

_(The girls: sha-la-la-la-la sha-la-la-la-la sha-la-la-la-la-la)_

_Oooh ah_

The boy applauded us as the music stopped and the rest of the girls found their seats. Mr. Schue stood up as he was clapping and nodded his head approvingly.

"Great job girls!" He chirped, "Cleo, great job taking the lead. You're really holding your own well."

I smiled, blushing even harder, "Um, thanks Mr. Schue." I glanced back at the other girls, who were all smiling at me in a way that made me pretty nervous. Even though the fact they jumped in and we had our own girl group thing was cool, I just wondered if they were trying to tell me something.

Also, I couldn't make eye contact with Rory.

Once glee club was let out, I walked by myself until I felt two people at my sides. I looked over and saw Santana on one side and Brittany on the other.

"Hey Cleo." Brittany greeted kindly, because she was the sweetest of the pair.

Santana smirked, "What's up Virgin Mary?" Okay, what was with that nickname? There were a lot worse things she could call me, but that name still kind of bugged me.

I blinked, seeing that Tina, Mercedes, Quinn, Rachel, and Sugar (where the hell has she been?) surrounding me. "Um, what's going on?" I asked, looking at each girl. They were smiling at me again, which was really starting to freak me out.

"So, Cleo, what did you think of our performance?" Quinn asked with a smile and giggle.

I shrugged, "I liked it. I thought it was cool you all jumped in." I said, then stopped walking. All the girls stood behind me, watching me like a hawk. "Look, I know something's up. What are you all planning? There was a reason why you all jumped in like that."

"Oh my, girls, we have a genius on our hands." Santana said sarcastically, bringing a hand to her mouth. "She figured us out! How ever did we give it away?" she gasped, faking a surprised expression.

I rolled my eyes.

"Look, Cleo, we only jumped in because we all can tell there's something between you and Rory, and we want something to be done about it." Mercedes commented, "Don't try and tell any of us that there's not a spark. We're not dumb."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, plus you and Rory would make a nice couple." Of course Rachel would want to pair me off with someone, so she'd know that I wasn't a threat when it came to Finn. Sure, we made up and were sorta friends, but I wasn't dumb either.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, then sighed. "Rory's a sweet guy, but I'm not sure if I like him that way. I just got out of a relationship before moving here, I don't want to rush into anything."

Tina raised an eyebrow, "So you're not denying that there's a connection?"

I snorted, "Of course not." My face grew warm when I remembered Rory's confession. "I just don't know what to do about it."

"It's simple, just go on a date with him." Brittany said encouragingly. "You don't know unless you try. Like, I always thought that Hulu actually made your brain get sucked out by aliens, but I watched twenty hours of TV on Hulu, and I'm completely fine."

The comment made us look at Brittany with confused expressions. As much as she was trying to help, that girl said some of the strangest statements ever. But, she was trying to help. I appreciated it.

My lips turned up in a smile, "I guess you're right. If anything happens, I can come to you and dish, right?"

Mercedes smiled, "We expect you to come and dish."

I giggled and the rest of the girls laughed as we huddled together for a pretty cliché high-school girl group hug. My mind began coming up with ideas about what to do about Rory.

* * *

Rory

My face was red and hot ever since the girls finished their Disney performance. That was a few hours ago. Now, it was lunch time, and I met up with the guys to find a table. My eyes scanned the cafeteria, and the glee girls were all at a separate table, surrounding Cleo like she was a star on Broadway. Well, she was a star in my eyes, but that wasn't important right now. For me, the important thing was figuring out what that performance meant. I'd never heard that song, or even knew what movie it was from. Then again, I don't remember ever seeing a Disney movie. I was screwed for the glee assignment.

"Rory?" Kurt called, and I looked up from my sketchy mashed potatoes (trust me, I knew my potatoes, so I refused to touch whatever these were.) "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "Just a little distracted, yano?" I stabbed my 'potatoes' with a plastic fork.

"Dude, you're not okay." Artie declared, wheeling closer to the table we sat at. "You're completely confused and dumbfounded by the performance the girls did. I can see it all over your Irish face." Did he really have to use Irish as an adjective?

"It's okay if you are." Blaine said as he sat next to Kurt, "Because we all are."

"Yeah we are." Finn added, taking a gulp of water. "I mean, _Hercules_ is Cleo's favorite Disney movie, but she loves all Disney movies, and knows all the songs. There were just a lot more options."

Blaine smirked, "You know a lot about her, Finn."

I noticed Finn blush, "Well, I've known her for a really long time."

"Yes, but most people don't remember that many details about a person, no matter how long they've known that person." Kurt challenged, and the two step-brothers exchanged a long stare that looked as if they knew something the rest of us didn't.

"I thought this detail would help the situation." Finn said with a huff, then looked at me. "So, let's get right to the point. Do you like Cleo, or what?"

The table grew silent. I felt my palms begin to sweat. I mean, I did like Cleo, but Finn seemed so protective of the girl that he would probably threaten any possible suitor. Even me. Finn Hudson took me under his wing, but if he felt that Cleo was threatened, he would toss me out in the air and watch me fall. That was how loyal he was to Cleo.

I gulped. "I mean, she's pretty, and nice…" I started, then squeezed my eyes shut, "Yeah."

All the guys except for Finn and Kurt began whooping and hollering. Puck patted me back and few times.

"Um, what do I do guys?" I asked suddenly, glancing over at where Cleo was sitting. She looked back, smiled, and waved at me, at which I stuck up my hand in response.

Blaine smirked, "Well, let's find the answer in the best way we can, by singing." He looked over at Puck, who magically had his guitar.

Puck began strumming, and Blaine got out of his seat at the table and stood in front me. He began to sing.

_There you see her, _

_Sitting there across the way_

_She don't got a lot to say_

_But there's something about her_

_And you don't know why_

_But you're dying to try_

_You wanna kiss the girl_

The guys started to harmonize with Blaine as he started to kind of dance with music. He walked around the lunch table, sat next to me, put an arm around my shoulder, and faced me in the direction Cleo was sitting:

_Yes, you want her_

_Look at her, you know you do_

_Possible she wants you too_

_There is one way to ask her_

_It don't take a word_

_Not a single word_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_My oh my_

_Look like the boy too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_Ain't that sad?_

_Ain't it a shame?_

_Too bad, he gonna miss the girl_

_Now's your moment_

_Floating in a blue lagoon_

_Boy you better do it soon_

_No time will be better_

_She don't say a word_

_And she won't say a word_

_Until you kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_My oh my_

_Look like the boy too shy_

_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_Ain't that sad?_

_Ain't it a shame?_

_Too bad, he gonna miss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_Don't be scared_

_You got the mood prepared_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_Don't stop now_

_Don't try to hide it how_

_You want to kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la la_

_Float along_

_And listen to the song_

_The song say kiss the girl_

_Sha la la la la_

_The music play_

_Do what the music say_

_You got to kiss the girl_

_You've got to kiss the girl_

_You wanna kiss the girl_

_You've gotta kiss the girl_

_Go on and kiss the girl_

When the song finished, the guys clapped and nodded approvingly at Blaine and Puck. No one outside of our bubble really paid attention to us.

"So, do you get it now, Rory?" Blaine asked, taking his seat next to Kurt.

I blinked, furrowing my eyebrows, "I have to kiss her?"

They all sighed in response to my confused. Hey, it wasn't my fault I was crap when it came to girls.

"No, Irish, don't take it literally," Artie said, folding his hands together and putting his elbows on the table. "It basically means to go for it. Make a move, or she'll move on. You don't want to miss the girl, do you?"

I sighed a little, "But, I think she's not interested. Cleo told me about how she just broke up with this guy before moving here, so I don't want to rush her."

"Don't worry about her being hung up on her ex." Finn added abruptly, "He's an ass."

I nodded, "Well, that's good. I mean, that she's not hung up on him." I really needed to think more before speaking. Pushing my tray forward, my shoulders sunk a little. "Maybe I should go for it. Cleo's too nice to reject me, so she'd probably just go on a date with me. If it doesn't work out, at least I can say I went on a date with her."

"Okay, that's problem number one." Puck added in, stuffing food in his mouth. "You're lacking in the confidence department. Just look at the Puckster. I'm overflowing with confidence, and I'm normally overflowing with the ladies. Just be more confident. You march up to Cleo and ask her out with the mindset that she will say yes, that she wouldn't do anything else than go on a date with you."

"Puck's actually right." Finn announced, as if that was a rare occasion. "Look, Rory, if you want to ask out Cleo, ask her out. Don't feel any pressure. We're here for you no matter what happens." His words put me at ease.

I managed a smile, "Thanks, Finn Hudson. And the rest of you. You all are the best mates a lad could ask for." I got on my feet, "I'm going for it!" Taking in a deep breath, I looked at the guys, who all smiled and gave me thumbs up, before heading over to the table the girls were sitting at.

When I reached the table, Santana was the first to see me. "Oh, hello Pet Irish, what brings you to the land of estrogen?" she asked in a sarcastic sweetness. Her dark lashes batted at me as she rested her head on her hand.

All the girls were smiling at me, which actually made me feel uncomfortable. But, I kept my mind on the goal: asking Cleo out. I cleared my throat, "Um, Cleo," I focused on her, knowing that if I looked at the others I would chicken out. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Cleo blinked, "Oh, sure." She got up from her spot between Brittany and Mercedes, following me to a private corner of the cafeteria. "What's up?"

I took in another breath, looking at her. Those dark eyes, her long hair, smooth skin, that kind smile. I felt the heat in my face increase, so I looked at my lunch table, seeing the guys nodding in encouragement.

"So, have you considered um, us?" I asked, sounding like a complete idiot. I mentally kicked myself. "I mean, are you interested in hanging out, just the two of us?"

Cleo raised an eyebrow, "You mean like a date?" she asked.

"If that's okay with you." I responded. Okay, maybe I wasn't as confident as Puck, but I was getting farther than I thought.

"I think that's perfectly fine with me." Cleo smiled at me, and I saw the light blush on her cheeks. Did she actually agree to go on a date with me?

I grinned, "Awesome." I was about to walk away, but I quickly asked, "So, what was with that song choice in glee?"

Cleo blushed harder, "I mean, _Hercules_ is my favorite Disney movie! You've seen it, right?"

"Honestly no." I said, and her eyes went wide, "I've actually never seen a Disney movie." I admitted, looking at the floor.

"What!" Cleo nearly cried, crossing her arms and shaking her head, "That's unacceptable, Flanagan!" she said teasingly, then grinned, "I have a perfect idea for our date."

I looked back at her, a little surprised that she referred to our date. I did like the sound of it, though. "What?" I asked tentatively.

"Disney movie marathon!" she announced happily. "Finn's mom and Kurt's dad are not gonna be home this Friday, and I can try and get Kurt and Finn to leave, so we can watch all the classics." Her eyes twinkled as she came up with the idea.

A movie marathon? Well, I think I could manage that. I smiled back at Cleo, taking one of her hands in both of mine. "Sounds great to me." I replied.

* * *

**Again I'm sorry this is so long. Also, don't y'all just ship Cleo and Rory? I can't think of a good ship name, though. Lol. Until next time!**


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